Perdue plan draws fire

ATLANTA - Gov. Sonny Perdue's proposal to appoint rather than elect four statewide constitutional officers is running headlong into opposition.

Critics from both parties said the plan was unlikely to win the needed two-thirds vote in Legislature and would consolidate too much power with the state's chief executive.

Perdue's plan would hand the governor the power to appoint the state schools superintendent, labor commissioner, agriculture commissioner and insurance commissioner. Those posts are currently elected. The change would take place in 2014, after Perdue leaves office.

The constitutional amendment would need to be approved by voters at the ballot box and must also pass muster with the U.S. Department of Justice under the Voting Rights Act.