The vote is Tuesday, June 23, 2026 — four days before Homecoming begins. Request your absentee ballot now → · Deadline: Must be received in the PO Box by 5PM on May 22
A Better Amendment
Voting NO does not stop gaming. It forces a referendum or a better amendment. When we say "Demand Better!!" we mean something specific. Here are the elements a fair gaming referendum or a better amendment must include to truly protect Lumbee members.
Lumbees United for Accountability is not an anti-gaming coalition. Our members hold a range of views on gaming. What unites us is this: the Lumbee people should decide — and if gaming eventually passes, revenues must be directed to tribal services for members — healthcare, education, housing, infrastructure and elder care — not to outsiders, insiders or Wyoming shell companies. One man should not negotiate the contracts, appoint the gaming board, and the oversight board, confirmed by a council that voted 17-2 in his favor. That is not oversight. That is concentration of power. Vote NO. Demand Better!! The Lumbee people deserve a referendum or better amendment.
The current proposed amendment concentrates power in one office with no real checks. A better amendment distributes that power appropriately — to the members who own this tribe. Here is what it must include.
Important background — not part of the amendment
The Lumbee people deserve a full public accounting of the concerning $3.6M profit land flip deal — who authorized it, where the money came from, and who owns Western Agricultural Holdings. This is not something we can require as part of an amendment, but every tribal member deserves this transparency.
A billion-dollar gaming enterprise should be built on honest accounting. We are still asking. Read the full story on the A Concerning Land Flip Deal page →
A fair vote open to all eligible enrolled members
In 1994, when tribal leadership wanted the Lumbee people to truly decide on their constitution, they held the referendum during Homecoming — over several days — when thousands of members from across the country were already gathered in Pembroke. 8,233 members voted — more than 30% of eligible voters, the highest turnout in tribal constitutional history.
The current gaming amendment vote is scheduled for Tuesday, June 23 — four days before Homecoming begins. A better amendment vote must be held during Homecoming, over multiple days, with absentee voting available to all eligible enrolled members (18 years of age or older) regardless of where they live.
An independent gaming oversight board elected by members
The current amendment gives the Tribal Chairperson the power to nominate every member of both the gaming regulatory board and the gaming oversight board — confirmed by a council that voted 17-2 in the chairman's favor. That is not independent oversight. That is one person overseeing himself.
A better amendment requires gaming oversight board members to be elected directly by tribal members — not nominated by the chairman. Board members should serve staggered terms so no single administration can replace everyone at once. At least a majority of board members must have no financial relationship with any gaming vendor, contractor or management company.
Independent oversight is the difference between a casino that serves the members and a casino that serves whoever controls it. Without elected oversight, there is no structural check on how gaming revenues are collected, allocated or reported.
Gaming revenues directed to tribal services for members
The amendment must specify — in the constitution itself, not in a side ordinance that can be changed later — that gaming revenues must be directed first to:
All revenue distributions must be publicly reported annually and independently audited. No gaming revenue should flow to outside companies or consultants beyond capital investment returns and disclosed operating costs.
A side ordinance can be amended by a simple council majority at any time. Constitutional protection cannot. If gaming revenue obligations are not written into the constitution, there is no guarantee the money ever reaches the people who need it most.
Land acquisition oversight — no more secret deals
Any land purchase above a set dollar threshold — for example $500,000 — must require tribal council approval by supermajority and public notification to tribal members before the purchase closes. No more Wyoming shell companies. No more $3.6 million profits to mystery entities. Every significant land acquisition gets a public record, a council vote, and member notification — before the money changes hands.
The concerning $3.6M profit land flip deal — $3.2 million to $6.8 million in days — happened without any public tribal council authorization vote and without any tribal member being informed. A better amendment makes this structurally impossible.
Explicit conflict of interest protections
The amendment must include explicit constitutional language prohibiting the following people from having any financial interest in any gaming vendor, contractor, management company or land deal connected to tribal gaming, or an ethical conflict of interest from another government or financial interest:
The people who oversee gaming must have no financial stake in its outcome.
The power to govern gaming must remain with the people
The power to govern gaming must always remain with the people — not permanently transferred to any individual, council or outside party.
A fair gaming amendment answers three questions in the constitution itself
Who decides?
All eligible enrolled members (18+) — through a fair vote held during Homecoming over multiple days, with absentee voting for members living outside the territory.
Who oversees?
An independent board elected by members — not nominated by the chairman or confirmed by his council — with staggered terms and strict conflict of interest rules.
Where does the money go?
To healthcare, education, housing, infrastructure and elder care across Lumbee territories — written into the constitution, publicly reported and independently audited.
Lumbees United for Accountability is not an anti-gaming coalition. Our members hold a range of views on gaming. What unites us is this: the Lumbee people should decide — and if gaming eventually passes, revenues must be directed to tribal services for members — healthcare, education, housing, infrastructure and elder care — not to outsiders, insiders or Wyoming shell companies. The Lumbee people deserve a referendum or better amendment.
Lumbees United for Accountability is not an anti-gaming coalition. Our members hold a range of views on gaming. What unites us is this:
The Lumbee people deserve a referendum or better amendment on gaming — with real oversight and real transparency and a real balance of power, not the currently proposed concentration of power.
Voting NO does not stop gaming. It forces a referendum or a better amendment — one with independent oversight, transparent revenue reporting, and a balance of power.
If gaming eventually passes, revenues must be directed to tribal services for members — healthcare, education, housing, infrastructure and elder care — not to outsiders, insiders or a Wyoming shell company.
Vote NO. Demand Better!!