The Lumbee Tribe voted in a tribal election Tuesday against constitutional amendments that would have paved the way for the tribe to build a casino in southeastern North Carolina.
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The amendments failed with about 62% of the nearly 9,000 tribal members that voted weighing in against them. The vote marks the first major election since the Lumbee of North Carolina received official federal recognition in December of 2025 after a fight of more than a hundred years.
“A majority of the Lumbee people have spoken, and they have said no to progress and have decided to stay with the status quo or simply staying with the way things are,” Lumbee Chairman John Lowery wrote in a Tuesday night statement.
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In late 2025, the tribe purchased nearly 240 acres of land off Interstate 95 in anticipation of constructing a casino and resort, a project supporters say could create 2,750 to 3,500 full-time jobs in one of the poorest regions in the state.
But that wasn’t enough to convince most Lumbees to move ahead with the proposed amendments. Critics of the amendments said they would place too much power in the hands of the tribal government, taking it away from the more than 55,000 registered tribal members.
The current constitution, first adopted in 1994, allows the tribe to build a casino only if it’s approved by referendum in an election in which at least 30% of eligible tribal voters participate. The proposed amendments would have eliminated the need for the referendum, putting the decision instead in the hands of the chairperson and tribal council.
A newly formed group, Lumbees United for Accountability, said that shift would lessen tribal citizens’ rights and oversight of tribal government.
“It in our view alters in a significant way the existing balance of power among the people, the chairman, and the tribal council in a way that’s to the detriment of the authority of the people,” said Arlinda Locklear, the vice chairwoman of Lumbees United for Accountability.
Tribal leaders argued that the constitutional amendments would allow the tribe to begin developing the casino more quickly. They say they’re concerned about a South Carolina proposal to allow commercial casinos along I-95 in that state, as close as 10 miles to the Lumbees’ proposed casino site.
Other critics of the casino project had religious and moral concerns about it. Elders of the CrossWay of Pembroke church in Robeson County released a statement earlier in the month against the casino, writing that gambling preys on people’s weaknesses, and utilizing it for economic gain goes against God’s teachings.
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“It is about whether we should intentionally establish and promote a system that may be harmful to the well-being of others for our own benefit,” the elders wrote. “It seems that we are using a predatory system to exploit our neighbor, and [that] does not reflect the kind of love Christ commands us to show.”
Alex Baker, speaker of the Lumbee tribal council, acknowledged people’s criticisms of the amendments, writing in a Wednesday statement that the Lumbee people “deserve clear answers, lawful oversight, and confidence that decisions involving tribal resources are being handled with accountability and care.”
Lowery said Tuesday night he doesn’t plan to return to the issue. “I will honor the wishes of the majority, and I will not bring this issue forward again over the remaining 18 months of my tenure,” Lowery wrote.
Lowery, who also serves in the North Carolina House of Representatives (R-Robeson) told NC Newsline Wednesday that he didn’t have anything more to say beyond his Tuesday night statement.
Lumbees United for Accountability clarified on their website that they are not staunchly anti-gaming, but against the changes the amendments would have made. Rick Barton, a member of the group, said he supports the economic development the casino could bring, but felt that the constitutional amendments were not the right way to establish one.
“Everybody believes that a casino would bring in much-needed revenue to one of the poorest areas in the state,” Barton said. “We’re okay with that, but as we were growing up, our parents told us there are certain things that need to be done the right way, and we still believe that way.”
Baker said the tribe will move forward together, but not with gaming at this time.
“The result,” Baker wrote, “does not mean our work stops. It means we must listen, learn, and rebuild trust where trust was strained.”
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