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Colorado · November 3, 2026 general election · Statewide ballot measure

Proposition 133: what your vote means

Penalties for human trafficking of a minor. On every Colorado ballot. Official sources checked October 22, 2026.

Proposition 133 · Citizen-initiated statute (majority vote)

Penalties for human trafficking of a minor

Official ballot title (quoted exactly)

Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes modifying existing law concerning human trafficking of a minor for sexual servitude, and, in connection therewith, creating new law expanding human trafficking of a minor for sexual servitude to include knowingly trading anything of monetary value to buy or sell sexual activity with a minor and increasing the penalty to be life in prison without parole or release?

Ballot title as printed in the 2026 State Ballot Information Booklet (Blue Book), Colorado Legislative Council Staff.

A YES vote means:

The penalty for child sex trafficking would become life in prison without parole, and the crime would include knowingly paying for sexual activity with a minor.

A NO vote means:

Existing felony penalties for child sex trafficking stay: 8 to 48 years in prison plus mandatory parole.

What it would change

  • Who is affected: people convicted of child sex trafficking, and the Department of Corrections and courts.
  • Taxes and fees: none.
  • Fiscal impact (Legislative Council Staff): prison costs starting in about 14 years, at $180,000 in 2041-42 and growing by that amount each year for several years.

Official arguments, summarized

Short neutral summaries of the arguments printed in the official voters’ pamphlet. The committees that wrote them are responsible for their content. Read the full text at the link below.

Argument for

Supporters say child sex trafficking causes lasting harm and deserves a definite life sentence that keeps offenders from harming more children and signals that Colorado takes the crime seriously.

Argument against

Opponents say harsher sentences are unlikely to deter trafficking, could punish victims who were forced to commit crimes and make them less likely to come forward, and remove judges’ ability to consider the facts of a case.

Arguments for and against Proposition 133, 2026 Blue Book, Colorado Legislative Council Staff (PDF, p. 53)

Who supports it and who opposes it

These lists come from official campaign filings (registered committees) and public endorsements, each linked to its source. They are not complete, and SaveYourState does not endorse anyone listed. Lists checked October 30, 2026.

Who supports it

Who opposes it

Official sources

SaveYourState is independent and nonpartisan, not a government site, and does not take positions on ballot measures. This explainer describes effects only, using the official ballot title, explanatory statement, full text, and fiscal impact statement. If anything here differs from those documents, the official documents control.