Founder of the No Means No Casino group and political analyst, Paul Goldman, has won a federal lawsuit against the state Board of Elections after the department would not hand over voter registration lists, which he said were typically made available to candidates and committees.
Goldman is an opponent to the plans by Richmond City Council to build a $562m casino resort, which would include a luxury hotel, 55 acres of green space and a live entertainment venue. These plans were originally proposed nearly two years ago in November 2021 when Partners Urban ONE and Churchill Downs advertised the project, which was narrowly struck down in a vote by city residents.
Initially, the case was filed in a Richmond city court, before being elevated to the US District Court for the Eastern District Court of Virginia.
A trial held last week sided with Goldman, ordering him to negotiate a resolution over access to the lists, and on Friday, Federal US District Court Judge M. Hannah Lauck, ordered the board to give Goldman the voter registration list.
There will be a vote on November 7 to either approve or reject plans for the casino, with supporters saying the project would be good for bringing jobs to the city and good for the local economy, while helping to support education, among other initiatives.
A campaign in favour of the casino, led by a group called 'Richmond Wins, Vote Yes' has gathered $8m for outreach and advertising, the most allocated for a local referendum in the state’s history.
