If you thought the slavery question in America was settled more than 150 years ago, think again.
Among the hundreds of referenda passed across the country in the midterm elections, voters in four states approved provisions making slavery and involuntary servitude unconstitutional.
While slavery was abolished in the U.S. in 1865, proponents of these ballot initiatives argued that remnants of legal slavery remained on the books. And they say this isn’t about righting past wrongs but about stamping out modern-day forced labor.
Advocates for the change to state laws say it is needed to protect incarcerated individuals who they say are being exploited for their labor and should be able to challenge working conditions and pay that often amounts to less than $1 an hour or nothing at all.