California voters shoot down proposed ban on forced prison labor

California voters shut down a ballot effort that would have banned the use of forced labor as a punishment for crime in the state.

The measure, known as Proposition 6, would have amended the state's constitution to ban forced labor in all circumstances. The state's constitution currently allows for an exception for forced labor bans in the case of punishment for crimes.

The measure was part of a wider movement among far-left Democrats in California who want the state to atone for past racism against Black residents. Activists previously failed to push through reparations bills in September.

A representative for Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., who supported the measure, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

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Members of the Coalition for a Just and Equitable California protest and demand lawmakers to take up a vote on two reparations bills in the rotunda on the last day of the legislative year on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, in Sacramento, California. (AP Photo/Tran Nguyen)

Democratic assembly member Lori Wilson, who helped push the ballot measure, addressed the failure in a statement.

"While it’s disappointing that our measure to remove slavery from California’s constitution was not approved by the voters, this setback does not end the fight," Wilson wrote in a statement. "Together, we will continue pushing forward to ensure that our state’s constitution reflects the values of equality and freedom that all Californians deserve."

Representative Maxine Waters, a Democrat from California, supported Proposition 6. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The measure's failure comes months after a pair of reparations-related bills for the descendants of enslaved Black Americans failed to pass in the California legislature in early September.

Authored by Democrat state Sen. Steven Bradford of Inglewood, Senate Bill 1331 would have created a new state fund for reparations, while Senate Bill 1403 would have established a state agency to oversee these efforts and determine who would be eligible. 

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These measures were considered key components of some lawmakers’ ambitious efforts to pass legislation aimed at atoning for what they said was a legacy of racist policies that drove disparities for Black people, from housing to education to health.

Reparations bills failed in California's legislature due to fear that Gov. Gavin Newsom would veto the legislation. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Bradford said the bills didn't move forward out of fear that Gov. Gavin Newsom would veto them.

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"We're at the finish line, and we, as the Black Caucus, owe it to the descendants of chattel slavery, to Black Californians and Black Americans, to move this legislation forward," Bradford said, urging his colleagues to reconsider Saturday afternoon.