Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston’s office announced on Wednesday that a ballot referendum campaign aiming to rescind a casino license for Pope County has successfully gathered enough signatures to put the issue before voters on November 5.
The debate over the casino license in Pope County has generated what some describe as a “civil war” between two feuding tribes from Oklahoma. These tribes hold opposing views on the introduction of a casino in Russellville, the county seat. In June, the Arkansas Racing Commission (ARC) awarded the Pope County casino license to the Cherokee Nation.
Following the announcement that Arkansans would decide in November if counties should require local referendums and achieve majority support before the ARC can issue a gaming license, the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma promptly filed a lawsuit. They asked the Arkansas Supreme Court to disqualify the referendum.
Cherokee Nation Entertainment, the tribe’s commercial branch, secured the casino project in June after the ARC determined that it was the sole qualified bidder. This decision had the backing of Pope County Judge Ben Cross and the Pope County Quorum Court. Another contender, Mississippi-based Gulfside Casino Partnership, continues to challenge ARC’s decision, alleging that Cross employed “coercive tactics” to reject its bid.
The referendum, led by the group Local Voters in Charge, poses a significant threat to the Cherokee Nation’s plans to develop a $300 million casino resort in Russellville, known as Legends Resort & Casino. The Choctaw Nation, which also hails from Oklahoma, funds Local Voters in Charge in an effort to protect its tribal casinos in eastern Oklahoma.
According to Thurston’s office, Local Voters in Charge submitted over 162,000 signatures and validated more than the necessary 90,704 signatures to place the question on the November ballot.
In their legal filing with the state’s highest court, Cherokee attorneys allege that Local Voters in Charge violated multiple laws during their canvassing for signatures. They claim that deceptive tactics were used to mislead Arkansans into signing the petition.
“The litigation seeks to invalidate signatures obtained by Local Voters in Charge for failure to comply with Arkansas law on numerous grounds during the canvassing process,” said Cherokee spokesperson Allison Burum.
The lawsuit demands the court withdraw the referendum, alleging state law violations, including paying canvassers for each signature and making false statements about the referendum’s true intent.
If the Arkansas Supreme Court does not intervene, and the casino question goes before voters, the Cherokee Nation plans to campaign extensively until Election Day to urge citizens to vote against the measure. They have established Investing in Arkansas and allocated nearly $1 million to the campaign.
In contrast, Local Voters in Charge has approximately $1.5 million in cash reserves. The Choctaw Nation spent $3.8 million to establish the referendum and collect signatures.
In 2018, Pope County was one of only 11 out of 75 counties in Arkansas to vote against a statewide ballot referendum that authorized commercial gambling in the state. This outcome permitted the Southland and Oaklawn racetracks to become full-scale casinos, offering slots, live dealer table games, and sports betting. It also authorized new casinos to be built from the ground up in Pope and Jefferson counties.
Local Voters in Charge’s referendum aims to repeal the authorization of a casino license in Pope County and would require countywide voter approval for any new casino licenses via future constitutional amendments.
“In record numbers, Arkansas voters have stated the obvious — casinos should not be forced into communities that do not want them,” said campaign spokesperson Hans Stiritz. “Our state’s motto ‘Regnat Populus’—‘The People Rule’—is a promise that we can fulfill by supporting Local Voter Control of casino gambling in November.”
