A bill would amend the constitution to bar felons from serving as sheriff.

Sen. Stan Bingham, a Davidson County Republican, said he filed the bill after hearing from sheriffs in his district.

"A sheriff cannot hire someone as a deputy — especially that carries a firearm — who is a felon, but he can be one," he said.

The amendment would forbid any sheriff who had been found guilty of a felony in North Carolina or another state, regardless of whether they had their voting rights restored.

It would be on the November 2010 ballot.

The former sheriff of Buncombe County was found guilty of accepting more than $300,000 in bribes from video poker operators last year.

The bill has 23 sponsors, almost a majority of the 50-member Senate.

Correction: An earlier version of this post misstated Bingham's party.