N.C. voters approve change to ban felons as sheriff
The Associated Press
© November 2, 2010
By Gary D. Robertson
RALEIGH, N.C.
North Carolina voters have approved by a comfortable margin an amendment to the state constitution permanently barring convicted felons from running for or serving as a county sheriff.
Unofficial results Tuesday show voters casting "yes" ballots for the amendment outnumbering "no" votes by a more than 5-to-1 margin with a third of the precincts reporting.
The amendment will be added to the North Carolina constitution later this year. It bars anyone convicted of a felony in any court of law from being a sheriff.
The state sheriffs association pushed for the referendum after six known felons ran for the office in the May primary, all of them unsuccessfully. Sheriffs and lawmakers said the change will preserve the integrity of the office and set high standards.
