Voting rights are at the center of a new and nasty attack from the GOP gubernatorial candidate in Virginia.

Ed Gillespie is accusing Democrats in the state of jeopardizing public safety by restoring voting rights to former felons who have completed their sentences, a claim the states governor says is outrageous.

Virginia strips felons of their voting rights, but they can be restored by the governor. Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) has restored the voting rights of more than 168,000 former felons, a number he says is a record high . Hes restored all of them individually after the states Supreme Court ruled in 2016 he could not do so with a blanket order.

A new ad from Gillespie accuses McAuliffe and Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, the Democratic nominee for governor, of putting public safety at risk by enfranchising Virginians.