Slavery on the midterm ballot

Slavery was on the ballot in five states, and not all voted to get rid of it ...

Transcript

00:00In five states, slavery was on the midterm ballot. Alabama, Louisiana, Oregon, Tennessee,

00:06and Vermont voted on closing loopholes in their state's constitutions that led to the rise of

00:11involuntary servitude as punishment for crime. The measures focused on the use of prison labor

00:16and an ongoing push to amend the 13th amendment, which permits the exploitation of labor by

00:20convicted felons. However, not all of the states voted in favor of its removal. In Louisiana,

00:26voters rejected a ballot question that asked whether they supported a constitutional amendment

00:31to prohibit the use of involuntary servitude in the criminal justice system. The four states

00:35that approved proposals will not enact immediate change inside those state prisons, but the

00:40amendments could lead to legal challenges related to the use of prison labor.