A Colorado voter initiative that would require sentences to life in prison for people convicted of child sex trafficking has qualified for the November ballot.
Protect Kids Colorado, the group backing Initiative 108, submitted nearly 170,000 signatures to qualify for the ballot. The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office announced Thursday the measure had qualified.
In stating the intent behind the measure, the group warned that people convicted of the crime, which is now a class 2 felony, can be eligible for parole within eight years. Class 2 felonies carry penalties of between eight and 24 years, which doubles if the charge carries a violent crime designation.
The ballot measure will need majority support among Colorado voters in November to become law. If it passes, it will go into effect in 2027.
Protect Kids Colorado did not immediately return a request for comment Friday morning. The group has also submitted signatures for a ballot initiative that would prohibit gender-affirming surgery for transgender children and minors younger than 18, plus another measure that would ban transgender youth from competing on interscholastic or intramural sports teams that don’t align with their biological sex.
Those petitions are still being reviewed by the secretary of state’s office.
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