Your questions answered

You are voting on a proposed amendment to the Lumbee Tribe's constitution. The amendment makes 4 specific changes to the constitution related to gaming. A YES vote approves all 4 changes. A NO vote rejects them. Read the full amendment here →

No. Voting NO does not stop gaming. It says: not this amendment, not this way. It demands a better referendum or amendment — one with real independent oversight, real revenue protections for tribal members, and answers about the $6.8M land flip deal. Our coalition members hold varying views on gaming. Some support it. Some do not. Some are undecided. What unites us is a demand for accountability and transparency before 67,500 Lumbee members permanently change their constitution.

Any enrolled Lumbee tribal member who is 18 years of age or older and has a valid enrollment card. You must present your enrollment card to vote. If your card needs to be renewed contact the Lumbee Tribe enrollment office as soon as possible.

Polling locations and hours are listed on our Voter Information page →. We will update this information as we receive it.

The deadline to request an absentee ballot application has passed. If you already submitted your application and received your ballot, it must be RECEIVED at PO Box 1799, Pembroke NC 28372 by June 22, 2026 at 5PM — the day before the vote. Mail only — no drop-offs. Full absentee ballot information →

Yes. Lumbees United for Accountability will be providing transportation to the polls on June 23. We will not let your vote go uncast because of a lack of transportation. Sign up for a ride on our Voter Information page →. Or sign up using our Stay Connected form → and we will contact you.

Change 1 — Expands tribal territory to include any additional lands acquired by the Tribe anywhere — not just the current 4 counties.

Change 2 — Removes your constitutional right to vote specifically on gaming. The words "authorizing gaming" are deleted from the referendum requirement.

Change 3 — Gives the Tribal Council new powers to approve gaming compacts, confirm gaming board nominations, and enact gaming ordinances.

Change 4 — Gives the Chairman alone the power to negotiate all gaming compacts and nominate all gaming and regulatory board members — with Tribal Council confirmation.

Read the full amendment →

Right now our constitution says any ordinance "authorizing gaming" affects the fundamental rights of tribal members and requires a member referendum — a direct vote by members — to pass. This amendment deletes those words. Gaming is no longer mentioned. The Tribal Council can authorize gaming by ordinance alone without a member vote. That right — once removed from the constitution — is gone permanently unless another amendment is passed.

The original bill used the word "appoint" in all 4 places. Council members pointed this out at the meeting and were told it would be corrected to "nominate" in all 4 places before publication. They only changed it in 2 places. The amendment published in newspapers — the official legal notice to 67,500 Lumbee members — still says "appoint" in 2 places and "nominate" in 2 places. This is the document they want to permanently embed in our constitution.

The National Indian Gaming Commission — the federal agency that oversees tribal gaming — is explicit: effective regulatory oversight requires functional separation between the gaming operation and tribal leadership. The NIGC recommends that members of the tribe's governing bodies be disallowed from serving on the gaming commission, and that gaming commissioners be non-partisan and non-political. This amendment gives the Chairman the power to nominate ALL gaming board and regulatory board members confirmed by a 17-2 aligned council. That is the opposite of what federal regulators recommend. Learn more →

On December 11-17, 2024, a Wyoming shell company called Western Agricultural Holdings purchased land for approximately $3.2 million. Days later — on December 18, 2024, the same day the Senate confirmed Lumbee federal recognition — the Lumbee Tribe paid $6.8 million for that same land. That is a $3.6 million profit for the Wyoming shell company in a matter of days. Douglas Boyette — a Raleigh attorney — organized Western Agricultural Holdings AND handled the closing for the Tribe. This was documented by Business NC magazine on February 18, 2026. Read the full story →

Multiple coalition members have independently confirmed — and one Tribal Council member directly confirmed — that some Tribal Council members signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement regarding the $6.8M land flip deal. This means some council members may be legally prevented from discussing this transaction with their own constituents. This has been reviewed and approved for publication by attorney Rick Barton. Read more →

That is one of our three key questions. The Tribal Council voted 17-2 to move forward with this amendment without ordering any independent investigation of the $6.8M land flip deal. We believe that before 67,500 Lumbee members vote to hand one man control over a billion-dollar gaming industry — with the same council as the sole check on that power — they deserve answers. If this council will not answer for $6.8 million, what confidence do we have they will oversee a billion-dollar gaming industry?

No. The Governor of South Carolina has publicly and repeatedly stated he opposes casino gambling and will veto any gaming bill that comes to his desk. He is in office until 2027. Pro-gaming legislators in South Carolina have acknowledged they will not bring another bill forward until after he leaves office. South Carolina is dead in the water. There is no race. There is no emergency. We believe this argument was used to create false urgency and rush 67,500 Lumbee members into permanently changing their constitution.

We are a coalition of enrolled Lumbee tribal members, community leaders, attorneys, educators, historians and advocates. Our coalition includes Dr. Jo Ann Chavis Lowery, Arlinda Locklear, Dr. Malinda Maynor Lowery, Rick Barton, Charles Graham and many others. Meet our leaders →

No. Our coalition members hold varying views on gaming. Some support gaming. Some do not. Some are undecided. What unites us is a demand for accountability, transparency and a better amendment — one with real independent oversight, real revenue protections for tribal members and eldercare, housing and healthcare — not outsiders, insiders or Wyoming shell companies.

We want 67,500 Lumbee members to vote NO on June 23 and demand a better referendum or amendment — one that protects your fundamental right to vote on gaming, guarantees revenues go to tribal services, has real independent oversight, and answers the questions about the $6.8M land flip deal. Voting NO does not stop gaming. It demands a better deal for all of us.