Colorado Passes Children Are Not for Sale Act

Voters approved Proposition 133, which expands the definition of child sex trafficking and sets a life sentence without parole as the penalty.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Sex Crimes

Colorado Passes Children Are Not for Sale Act

Live Poll

Do you support life imprisonment without parole for child sex trafficking?

Colorado voters passed Proposition 133, known as the Children Are Not for Sale Act, with 62 percent of the vote on November 3, 2026. The measure expands the definition of child sex trafficking and raises the penalty to life imprisonment without parole.

Why it matters

The measure changes how child sex trafficking is defined and punished under Colorado law, applying a statewide standard to all Colorado residents. Its passage at a 62 percent margin signals broad voter support for the policy.

Proposition 133 passed with 62 percent of the statewide vote on November 3, 2026, placing the expanded child sex trafficking definition and life-without-parole penalty into effect. Implementation timelines, prosecution guidance and any legal challenges were not specified in the extraction.

The players

Colorado voters

The state's electorate approved Proposition 133 through the statewide ballot initiative process, a mechanism that allows citizens to enact laws directly.

The details

Proposition 133 expands the definition of child sex trafficking and increases the penalty to life imprisonment without parole. Colorado votes by mail, and results for Propositions 134 and 135, passed the same day, were not clear until Thursday afternoon.

November 3, 2026: Colorado voters approve Proposition 133, the Children Are Not for Sale Act.
Thursday, November 5, 2026: Results for Propositions 134 and 135 become clear after mail ballot counting.

Legal Context

Proposition 133 extends the state-level framework for combating child sex trafficking first set at the national level by the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. It applies a life-without-parole penalty within Colorado's own criminal code.

Proposition 133 changes the legal definition of child sex trafficking and the penalty for conviction across Colorado, affecting how cases are charged and sentenced statewide. Residents, schools and child-serving organizations may see new reporting and enforcement practices as implementation begins.

The takeaway

Colorado voters have placed a life-without-parole penalty for child sex trafficking directly into state law. Residents interested in how the measure is applied can follow Colorado criminal justice coverage as implementation proceeds.