Faculty Publications

The Navajo Gaming Referendum: Reservations About Casinos Lead To Popular Rejection Of Legalized Gambling

Document Type

Article

Keywords

Elections; US, Gaming, Navajo Nation

Journal/Book/Conference Title

Human Organization

Volume

56

Issue

3

First Page

294

Last Page

301

Abstract

Numerous American Indian tribal governments have introduced legalized gambling to enhance revenues. There have been notable financial successes as well as some confrontations with state governments and the exacerbation of factionalism on some reservations. The largest tribal entity in the United States, the Navajo, has not established a gaming industry. In 1994 the Navajo Tribal Council, following a veto of enabling legislation, referred the issue to the voters. Navajo voters rejected the referendum in the November, 1994 tribal general election. This article examines the Navajo electorate's rejection of gaming. Results varied by voting district (chapter). Exit polling conducted in a half-dozen chapters is used to analyze the effects of sex and age on the outcome and to describe the voters reasons for their vote.

Department

Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology

Original Publication Date

1-1-1997

DOI of published version

10.17730/humo.56.3.tlp753n144576837

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