RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Republicans asked state’s highest court Monday to block more than 200,000 felons from voting in November, arguing that Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe abused his power by restoring the voting rights of thousands of convicts who have completed their sentences.

In a lawsuit GOP leaders filed in the Virginia Supreme Court, they say McAuliffe violated the separation of powers by effectively suspending the state’s ban on voting by felons. They say McAuliffe is ignoring decades of practice, which has made clear that governors can restore voting rights only on a case-by-case basis.

The lawsuit is being brought by House Speaker William Howell and Senate Majority Leader Thomas Norment along with four other Virginia voters.

They’re asking the justices to prohibit election officials from registering felons and to cancel all such registrations since April 22. As of last week, election officials said nearly 4,000 felons had signed up.

ASSOCIATED PRESS