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
The Amendment & Constitution
The proposed amendment touches three parts of the Lumbee Tribal Constitution. Here is exactly what the current constitution says, what would be deleted or added, and what it means for you as a tribal member.
The text below is drawn from Exhibit 1 — Proposed Amendment to Tribal Constitution, voted 17-2 by the Tribal Council on April 16, 2026. The amendment shows both what is being deleted from the current constitution and what new language would replace it. Every tribal member has the right to read it for themselves before they vote.
What the constitution says right now — today
Article VIII, Section 1(b) — Current Lumbee Tribal Constitution
"Any ordinance imposing a tax or authorizing gaming in Lumbee territory shall be deemed to affect fundamental rights or interests of the Tribe. No ordinance certified as requiring a referendum shall be effective unless and until such ordinance is approved by a majority of those voting in the referendum, such referendum to be conducted in accordance with Article V of the Constitution."
From the Lumbee Tribe's own website — lumbeetribe.com
"The Lumbee Constitution required that any ordinance passed by the Tribal Council authorizing gaming must be certified for referendum by the membership of the Lumbee Tribe."
Source: lumbeetribe.com/faqs-history — the Lumbee Tribe's own FAQ page, published on the official tribal website.
Gaming is a fundamental right
The current constitution explicitly classifies gaming as a "fundamental right or interest of the Tribe" — not a routine administrative decision.
Chairman is required to call a referendum
The Tribal Chairperson is constitutionally required to certify any gaming ordinance for a member referendum within 10 days of passage. It is a mandatory constitutional duty — not a choice. Gaming cannot take effect until members approve it.
Full election rules apply
The referendum must follow Article V — the same constitutional rules that govern tribal officer elections. A full, formal member referendum. Not a casual vote.
The proposed amendment deletes this protection entirely. Today the Tribal Chairperson is constitutionally required to certify any gaming ordinance for a member referendum within 10 days — it is a mandatory constitutional duty, not a choice. After the amendment, that requirement is gone. Gaming is no longer classified as a fundamental right. The Tribal Council — confirmed by a 17-2 chairman-aligned majority — can authorize gaming without the chairman ever being required to put it to a member vote. The June 23 vote on this amendment may be the last time this protection exists.
Under the current constitution, tribal territory is limited to four named counties. Under the amendment, any land purchase would automatically become part of tribal territory with no member vote required.
Most concerning provision
Article VII · Section 1 — Who controls gaming
This is the amendment's most alarming provision. It gives the Tribal Chairperson the power to negotiate all gaming contracts AND nominate every member of every gaming board and oversight board — confirmed by a Tribal Council that just voted 17-2 in his favor. One person controls contracts, appointments and oversight. That is not separation of powers. That is concentration of power.
One person negotiates the billion-dollar gaming contracts. That same person nominates every person who oversees those contracts. A 17-2 aligned council confirms. The same chairman who has not answered questions about the $3.6M profit land flip deal would control all of this.
This is the most significant change in the entire amendment. Today you have a constitutional right to vote on gaming. If this amendment passes, you lose that right. The Tribal Council — confirmed by the chairman's 17-2 majority — can authorize a billion-dollar gaming enterprise without ever asking tribal members to approve it. The June 23 vote on this amendment is the last vote you will ever cast on gaming if it passes.
Your right to vote on direct taxes remains protected. Under both the current constitution and the proposed amendment, any ordinance that directly imposes a tax on individual tribal members still requires a majority referendum. The amendment narrows the referendum right — it does not eliminate it entirely. But it does eliminate it specifically for gaming.
| Article | What changes | Effect on members |
|---|---|---|
| Article I | Territorial definition expanded to cover any land the tribe acquires | Future land purchases become tribal territory automatically |
| Article VII | Chairman negotiates all gaming contracts and nominates all oversight board members | One person controls gaming contracts and picks who oversees them, confirmed by a 17-2 aligned council |
| Article VIII | Gaming referendum requirement deleted — replaced with narrower tax-only protection | You lose your constitutional right to vote on gaming. The council can authorize gaming without asking members. |
Voting NO on June 23 is not the end of the conversation — it is the beginning of a better one. When we say "Demand Better," we mean a specific, concrete better. Whether the path forward is a new amendment or a direct member referendum, 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 →
A fair gaming referendum or better amendment answers four questions
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 appointed by the chairman or confirmed by his council.
Where does the money go?
To tribal services and infrastructure for our elders, our children, our families — publicly tracked, independently audited and constitutionally protected.
Understanding the vote threshold on June 23 — and what happens if the amendment passes — is the most important strategic information any tribal member can have before June 27.
| Path | What it requires | Realistic? |
|---|---|---|
| Vote NO on June 23 | Majority of those present vote NO — Elections Board certified | Yes — most achievable path |
| Member-initiated replacement amendment after a YES vote | 2,000 signatures → special election → majority of those voting. No 30% threshold. Easier than Article VI in every respect — but leadership moves fast in the meantime. | Possible — but the damage done while organizing it may be hard to undo |
| Council-initiated replacement amendment | 14 of 21 council members agree to propose a replacement | Unlikely given 17-2 alignment |
| Article VI referendum challenge | 4,000 signatures → council refuses → 8,000 more signatures in 30 days → 12,000 voters participate | No — practically impossible |
If they truly wanted the Lumbee people to decide
They would hold the vote during Homecoming — over several days — the way it was done in 1994 when over 30% of eligible members participated.
1994 — How it was done right
The constitutional referendum was held during Homecoming, over several days — June 27 through July 2, 1994. Thousands of Lumbee members were already gathered in Pembroke from across the country.
Result: 8,233 votes cast — more than 30% of eligible members. The highest voter participation in any Lumbee constitutional election in history.
The constitution passed overwhelmingly — 8,010 in favor and 223 against — 8,233 total. The community had spoken.
2026 — How this vote is scheduled
The gaming amendment vote is scheduled for June 23, 2026 — a single Tuesday, four days before Homecoming begins on June 27.
Lumbee members in Baltimore, Detroit, Raleigh, Charlotte and across the country typically travel to Pembroke during Homecoming week — not the Tuesday before it starts.
A vote held before most members arrive is not the Lumbee people deciding. It is leadership deciding for them.
What a fair vote would look like
A fair vote on a constitutional amendment that affects all 67,500 Lumbee members would be held during Homecoming, over several days — when thousands of members from across the country are already gathered in Pembroke. It would allow absentee voting with a reasonable deadline. And it would give members adequate time to read, understand and discuss what they are voting on. June 23 — a single Tuesday four days before Homecoming — is none of those things.
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.
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!!