RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia Republicans are asking the state's highest court to block more than 200,000 convicted felons from voting in November.
GOP leaders argue in a lawsuit that they are filing in the Virginia Supreme Court on Monday that Gov. Terry McAuliffe's executive order violates the separation of powers by effectively suspending the state's ban on felons.
They say governors can restore voting rights only on a case-by-case basis.
McAuliffe has stood by his action, arguing there's nothing in Virginia's Constitution that limits him to restoring rights on an individualized basis. He says people who've served their time should be allowed to have their voices heard this fall.
Republicans say the order is a political ploy designed to help Democrats win the White House in November. McAuliffe denies that.
