Over nearly three hours Wednesday, June 21, Tribal Council heard from attorneys offering dire warnings about the unintended consequences that could befall the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians should it adopt a proposed constitution  — and from tribal members imploring the body to trust voters to decide whether the document should become the tribe’s first constitution in more than 150 years.

In a narrowly divided vote Thursday, June 1, the Cherokee Tribal Council delayed deciding on a resolution seeking to upend a planned referendum  to approve the tribe’s first constitution in more than 150 years.

During its next meeting Thursday, June 1, the Cherokee Tribal Council is set to debate the future of a referendum vote that could give the tribe its first constitution in more than 150 years.

AA proposed constitution for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is facing opposition from the EBCI Attorney General’s Office following Tribal Council’s unanimous vote April 6 to place it on the ballot for referendum this September.

Tears, hugs and applause exploded through the Tribal Council chambers April 6 when the body unanimously passed a resolution placing a tribal constitution on the ballot for the Sept. 7 General Election.

By unanimous vote during their Tuesday, June 1, meeting, Jackson County commissioners passed a resolution  that “calls upon the North Carolina General Assembly and the United States Congress to use all their powers and authority to protect our citizens’ freedom under the Constitution.”

An effort to adopt a constitution for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians through a referendum question failed to come to fruition this year, but the grassroots group Citizens for a Constitution isn’t giving up, now setting its sights on a referendum question in 2021. 

An effort to get a proposed constitution on the Cherokee ballot as a referendum question this September will not come to fruition following Tribal Council’s June 13 vote to withdraw the legislation.

Cherokee voters will have the chance to give their nation a long-awaited constitution if Tribal Council approves a referendum question proposed for the September ballot. 

Most years, voters head to the polls with a few candidates or a political party in mind, push some buttons, and go home. But this year’s ballot also contains six proposed amendments to the North Carolina Constitution.