It’s 2024, and Nevada finally got around to cleaning up some really old, really ugly paperwork. For a long time, the state’s constitution had this weird, dark exception tucked away in its text. It basically said slavery was banned except as a punishment for a crime. You’ve probably heard of the 13th Amendment doing the same thing on a federal level, but Nevada Question 4 was the move to scrub that language out of the local books for good.
The vote wasn't just a formality.
People actually cared. A lot. When you look at the results from the November 2024 election, the message was pretty loud. Nevadans looked at that "except" clause and decided it didn't belong in a modern society. It passed by a massive margin. Honestly, it’s one of those rare moments where partisan lines kinda blurred because, well, who wants to be on the side of keeping the word "slavery" in a legal document in the 21st century?
What Nevada Question 4 changed in the fine print
Before the 2024 election, Article 1, Section 17 of the Nevada Constitution was a relic. It mirrored the U.S. Constitution's loophole. By voting "Yes" on Nevada Question 4, residents agreed to delete the phrase "unless for the punishment of crimes."
It’s now a flat ban. No exceptions. No "buts."
This doesn't mean Nevada was out there running 1800s-style plantations last year. Obviously. But the legal framework allowed for something called "involuntary servitude." That’s a fancy way of saying forcing people to work against their will. In the context of the prison system, this has been a massive point of contention for decades. Critics argued that the loophole allowed the state to exploit incarcerated people for pennies, or even nothing at all, under the threat of punishment if they refused.
The human side of the "Except" clause
Think about the daily life of someone in the Nevada Department of Corrections. They might be fighting wildfires or stamping license plates. Some people think that's just part of paying a debt to society. Others see it as a direct descendant of the system the Civil War was supposed to end.
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Senator Dallas Harris, a Democrat from Las Vegas, was one of the big voices pushing this. She argued that the state shouldn't have the "right" to enslave anyone, period. It’s a moral stance. When we talk about Nevada Question 4, we’re talking about a shift in how the state views the dignity of a human being, even one who has committed a crime.
Not everyone was convinced this would change much on the ground, though. Some skeptics pointed out that even with the language gone, prison work programs aren't going to vanish overnight. The state still has a vested interest in keeping inmates busy and, let's be real, keeping costs down. But legally? The ground has shifted.
Why did this take so long?
You’d think this would have happened in the 60s. Or the 90s.
But Nevada wasn't alone in this delay. It’s part of a national "Abolish Slavery National Network" movement. We saw similar ballot measures in states like Alabama, Oregon, and Vermont recently. It turns out, changing a constitution is a total slog. In Nevada, a resolution has to pass two consecutive sessions of the legislature before it even gets to the voters.
The process for Nevada Question 4 started years ago. It passed the 2021 legislature. Then it had to pass the 2023 legislature. Only then did it show up on your ballot in 2024. It’s a test of patience.
The tension over prison labor and wages
Here is where things get tricky. While the "slavery" branding is gone, the "work" stays.
Nevada’s prison industry, often referred to as Silver State Industries, relies on inmate labor. These jobs often pay well below the state's minimum wage. Some people who voted against or felt "meh" about Question 4 worried it would lead to a flood of lawsuits demanding $12 an hour for inmates.
That hasn't quite happened yet.
The courts generally distinguish between "slavery" and "prison work programs." However, by removing the constitutional protection for involuntary servitude, the state has opened a door. Future lawyers will almost certainly use the passing of Nevada Question 4 to challenge the conditions and pay scales within the prison system. It’s a slow-motion legal earthquake.
Looking at the numbers
The "Yes" vote was overwhelming. We're talking about roughly 70% to 80% support depending on the county. It’s rare to see that kind of consensus in a state as "purple" as Nevada. Washoe and Clark counties were obviously the big drivers, but even in rural areas, there wasn't a massive "Pro-Slavery-Loophole" lobby.
Most people saw it as a "housecleaning" measure.
It’s about optics and ethics. For many Black Nevadans and civil rights advocates, the old language was a constant reminder of a history that never fully healed. Removing it doesn't fix everything, but it stops the state from officially sanctioning the concept of ownership over another person.
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What happens next for Nevada?
Now that the constitution is updated, the real work starts in the courtrooms and the state house.
Expect to see new bills in the upcoming legislative sessions. There will be pushes to increase inmate pay. There will be debates about whether certain types of prison labor are "voluntary" enough to meet the new constitutional standard.
If you're a Nevada resident, the next step is watching how the Department of Corrections reacts. They’ve been operating under the old rules for over 150 years. They won't change their internal policies unless they're forced to by a judge or a new law.
Keep an eye on the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Nevada. They were huge proponents of Question 4 and they aren't going to let the victory sit on a shelf. They’ll likely be the ones filing the first test cases to see just how much "involuntary" work the state can still get away with.
For the average person, this change might not change your Tuesday morning commute. But for the legal framework of the state, it’s a total rewrite of the rules of power. It’s a statement that the state's authority has a hard limit. You can punish someone, you can lock them up, but you can’t own them.
Take Action:
If you want to see how this impacts local policy, follow the Nevada Legislative Counsel Bureau's updates on the implementation of the 2024 ballot measures. You can also look into the Silver State Industries annual reports to see how prison labor projects are being structured under the new "no-exceptions" ban. Staying informed on these administrative shifts is the only way to ensure the vote you cast actually changes the reality on the ground.