Pa. GOP: Voter ID to 'allow' Romney win

HARRISBURG, Pa., June 25 (UPI) -- Pennsylvania Republicans Monday defended an assertion by a party leader that voter ID laws will "allow Governor [Mitt] Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania."

In a speech Saturday at a Republican State Committee meeting, state House Majority Leader Mike Turzai suggested the House approved a voter identification law to benefit the party politically, politicspa.com reported.

"We are focused on making sure that we meet our obligations that we've talked about for years," Turzai said, listing several GOP legislative accomplishments.

"Pro-Second Amendment? The Castle Doctrine, it's done," Turzai said. "First pro-life legislation -- abortion facility regulations -- in 22 years, done. Voter ID, which is gonna allow Governor Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania, done."

Mark Nicastre, a spokesman for the state Democratic Party, said Turzai's comment is an "admission that voter ID only serves the partisan interests of his party."

"Instead of working to create jobs and get our economy back on track, Mike Turzai and the Republicans in Harrisburg have been laser focused on a partisan agenda that simply helps their donors and political allies," Nicastre said.

Stephen Miskin, a spokesman for Turzai, noted in a statement the majority leader was "speaking at a partisan, political event. He was simply referencing, for the first time in a long while, the Republican presidential candidate will be on a more even keel thanks to voter ID … . Anyone looking further into it has their own agenda."

State Sen. Daylin Leach, a Democrat, said the scope of the voter ID law -- enacted in March -- is such that it will prevent hundreds of thousands of people from voting.

"This is about one thing: disenfranchising Democratic voters and rigging elections for Republicans," Leach said. "When they get behind closed doors, they admit it."