Led by chairman Vinton Hawley, the Pyramid Lake Paiute joined with the Walker River Paiute in a successful civil rights suit under the Voting Rights Act in federal court against the state government to gain polling places on their homelands in 2016. They have been disadvantaged in the past by having to travel excessive distances to vote in elections, which had reduced participation. They argued that the state had set up satellite offices in wealthy, mostly white neighborhoods. The Justice Department sided with the plaintiffs. When the counties said the change would cost too much and the state said that it could not intervene, the Justice Department "said in a new filing Monday they appear to be confusing voting rights with 'voting convenience.'" The court decided in favor of the two Paiute tribes and ordered officials to set up satellite offices. Early voting at Pyramid Lake reservation started October 22, and during the first two days, the number of voters was double the total in the 2012 presidential election.