Advocates of the initiative blamed the wording of the question, which stated: "Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution concerning the removal of the exception to the prohibition of slavery and involuntary servitude when used as punishment for persons duly convicted of a crime?

"In 2018, the question was changed for clarity and put before voters, requiring a 55% affirmative vote to pass.

As a result, Article II, Section 26 of the Colorado Constitution now simply reads: "There shall never be in this state either slavery or involuntary servitude.

Jared Polis, the Colorado Department of Corrections and a private prison operator under Amendment A to increase wages for penal labor from USD$0.10 an hour, which the inmates described as "slave wages", to the current Colorado minimum wage (USD$12 an hour as of 2020), in addition to paid sick leave and vacation time.

[2] This is considered the first lawsuit under the amendment to seek reform of the penal labor practices in the Colorado corrections system.