TRANSCRIPT
ZACH BOBLITT: This is 89.5 KWGS. Oklahoma tribes are spending millions on a casino in Russellville, Arkansas that’s been embroiled in legal issues for years. The Cherokee Nation and the Choctaw Nation are battling over a license for one of the Natural’s State’s new gaming houses in Pope County. Arkansans will weigh in on the issue tomorrow. KWGS’ Elizabeth Caldwell got in touch with another NPR member station to learn more. Here’s Elizabeth and Daniel Breen from Little Rock Public Radio.
ELIZABETH CALDWELL: Hi Daniel.
DANIEL BREEN: Hi Elizabeth.
EC: So give us a little background on the elections over in Arkansas. What’s on the ballot this cycle?
DB: Well, here in Arkansas, we do have a direct democracy process where citizens can get issues directly to the ballot for voters to approve. But, last year, the state legislature passed a law making it much harder for citizens to refer things to the ballot. It raised the number of counties from which you’d need to gather signatures from 15 to 50, and for reference Arkansas only has 75 counties total.
DB: So this is the first election year this law’s been in effect. And while we had several grassroots campaigns working to put issues like abortion and expanded medical marijuana on the ballot, all were ultimately unsuccessful. So now, our only citizen-led initiative to make it on the ballot is what’s known as Issue 2, involving the Choctaw and Cherokee Nations of Oklahoma.
EC: Okay, tell us what Issue 2 would do if it’s approved by voters.
DB: Well, we need to go all the way back to 2018. That’s when Arkansas voters approved an amendment to legalize casino gambling. The amendment directed the state to issue four casino licenses, each to a specific county. As we speak now, three of those casinos are up and running. But the last casino has been mired in controversy and legal troubles for years. Put very simply, several different companies were seeking to secure that last casino license, but ultimately the license was awarded to the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, specifically Cherokee Nation Businesses.
DB: If it’s approved by voters, Issue 2 would vacate the casino license that’s been awarded to the Cherokees.
EC: Give us a bit of background on this. Why do some people want to take that casino license away?
DB: The main argument in favor of Issue 2 is that it gives local control back to the voters. While the original casino amendment was approved by a statewide vote, the majority of voters in Pope County, where the casino would be located, rejected it. So the pro-Issue 2 camp is saying that those voters really didn’t have a say in whether or not a casino gets built in their community.
EC: And what’s the argument against Issue 2?
DB: A big part of that argument is that doing away with the casino would be bad for the local economy, it would mean a loss in jobs and tax revenues. But interestingly enough, Issue 2 is being backed by the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, which was an unsuccessful applicant for the Pope County casino license. The anti-Issue 2 people argue the Choctaw Nation is trying to meddle in Arkansas’ affairs just because they don’t want competition with their casinos just over the state line in Oklahoma.
EC: There’s a Choctaw casino in Pocola. But the casino in Pope County would be different, right?
DB: Right, because it’s a commercial casino, not a tribal one. That means it’s not on tribal land and it’s a private, for-profit entity. The taxes for the new casino will go to Arkansas.
EC: Is there any indication of whether or not Issue 2 will pass?
DB: It’s unclear right now, there really hasn’t been a lot of polling on the issue. But I will say, both sides have spent a lot of money trying to get the word out both for and against the issue. The Choctaw Nation has spent just under $18 million in its campaign, while the Cherokee Nation has spent about $12-and-a-half million.
EC: That’s a lot of money from Oklahoma tribes. Daniel, thanks for filling us in.
DB: Thank you Elizabeth.
0
20
20
