Voters can abolish constitutional language allowing slavery in Utah if amendment passes
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Slavery is still legal in Utah according to the state’s Constitution. But, beginning on Tuesday, voters have the power to abolish the language if Amendment C passes by a simple 50% plus 1 majority.
The most recent push to rid the slavery language in Utah’s Constitution started two years ago by state Rep. Sandra Hollins.
“It is very shocking that this language is still in our constitution,” Hollins said. She is part of a coalition to abolish slavery from Utah.
Currently, slavery or involuntary servitude can be handed out as punishment for someone convicted of a crime.
“When you start looking at the history of why this was placed in Utah's Constitution, it was placed in there for the purpose of mass incarceration for economic reasons of black men” Hollins said. She calls the constitution one of the state’s most important documents.
"And it needs to reflect our current values and right now this language does not reflect our current values.”
The slavery language found its way into Utah's constitution three decades after the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed slaves. This time around the effort helped by Hollins has support by Democrats and Republicans.
“We also have to take it to the voters, which we should do, we have to take this to the voters and give them the opportunity to say yes or no” Hollins said.
If passed, this will not change prisoners working during their imprisonment.
To find out more visit the Abolish Slavery Utah website here: abolishslaveryutah.org/
Here is more information about the seven amendments on the November ballot:
Amendment A: Shall the Utah Constitution be amended to change words that apply to a single-gender (such as the word “men”) to words that are not limited to a single-gender (such as the word “persons”)?
Amendment B: Shall the Utah Constitution be amended to specify that certain requirements that a person must meet to be eligible for the office of senator or representative in the Utah Legislature apply at the time the person is elected or appointed?
Amendment C: Shall the Utah Constitution be amended to make the following changes to the Utah Constitution’s ban on slavery and involuntary servitude:
remove the language that allows slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for a crime; and
clarify that the ban does not affect the otherwise lawful administration of the criminal justice system?
Amendment D: Shall the Utah Constitution be amended to:
rewrite a provision relating to municipal water rights and sources of water supply;
allow a municipality to define the boundary of the municipality’s water service area and to set the terms of water service for that area;
state that a municipality is not prevented from:
supplying water to water users outside the municipality’s boundary; or
entering into a contract to supply water outside the municipality’s water service area if the water is more than what is needed for the municipality’s water service area; and
modify the basis upon which a municipality is allowed to exchange water rights or sources of water supply?
Amendment E: Shall the Utah Constitution be amended to:
preserve the individual right to hunt and to fish, including the right to use traditional hunting and fishing methods subject to certain regulation; and
establish public hunting and fishing as the preferred way of managing and controlling wildlife?
Amendment F: Shall the Utah Constitution be amended to:
change when annual general sessions of the Utah Legislature begin from the fourth Monday in January to a day in January designated by a law passed by the Utah Legislature; and
exclude state holidays that are not also federal holidays from counting towards the maximum number of days of the Utah Legislature’s annual general sessions?
Amendment G: Shall the Utah Constitution be amended to expand the uses of money the state receives from income taxes and intangible property taxes to include supporting children and supporting people with a disability?