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Legal Battle Over Felon Voters Before Virginia High Court

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Gov. Terry McAuliffe's administration is urging the Virginia Supreme Court to throw out a challenge to his restoration of voting rights to thousands of former felons. 

Virginia Solicitor General Stuart Raphael argued Tuesday that the Republican lawmakers and other voters challenging his order have no legal standing because they haven't shown they've been harmed. 

Charles Cooper, an attorney for the Republicans, argued that the governor's executive order is unconstitutional. He told the court the legal votes of the plaintiffs will be diluted if thousands of former felons cast ballots in November.

The question is whether Virginia's constitution allows governors to restore voting rights en masse, or requires such decisions to be made on a case-by-case basis.

The justices did not immediately rule after Tuesday's hearing.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.