According to the N.C. Sheriffs’ Association, six convicted felons ran for election for sheriff in the state primaries in May. They all lost, but their appearance as candidates spurred the sheriffs’ association to support a constitutional amendment barring convicted felons from serving as sheriff in North Carolina.

A referendum on the amendment will be on the ballot in November. The item on the ballot will read “Amendment to the North Carolina Constitution: Constitutional amendment providing that no person convicted of a felony may serve as sheriff.”

If you select “For,” you are voting for the amendment and do not want convicted felons to be able to serve as sheriff.

The sheriffs’ association said in an article in the fall issue of “The North Carolina Sheriff” that it does not want something as crucial and fundamental to professional law enforcement as the public trust to be placed in the hands of a known felon. The association was a strong supporter of the bill as it made its way through the legislative process.

“If enough voters mark ‘For’ on the ballot, North Carolinians can be assured that no convicted felon will ever be elected or appointed to the office of sheriff,” the sheriffs’ association said in the article.