Trump cites India’s election system as model for stricter US voter ID rules

Washington: US President Donald Trump cited India’s electoral system as a model for the United States as he renewed his demand for stricter voter identification rules and urged Congress to pass the SAVE America Act.

Trump referred to a question he said India’s Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar had recently put to his administration about the absence of a nationwide photo identification requirement in American elections.

“Earlier this month, India’s Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, asked our Administration — How can you have Elections in the U.S. without a valid Photo ID?” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

The President highlighted the scale of India’s elections and its voter identification rules to bolster his case for changing US federal election procedures.

“India’s last Election had 646,000,000 Voters! Less than 1% voted by mail, and every single Voter had to have a VALID Photo Identity Document. We need to pass THE SAVE AMERICA ACT, now!” he said.

US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor endorsed Trump’s call. “President Donald J. Trump is absolutely correct! 646 MILLION voters, every single one required an ID in India’s last election. Congress should pass THE SAVE AMERICA ACT!” Gor said in a post on X.

The Republican-led House passed the revised legislation in February by a 218-213 vote, with one Democrat joining Republicans. An earlier version, called the SAVE Act, had passed the House in April but stalled in the Senate.

The legislation would require documentary proof of US citizenship before a person could register to vote in a federal election. It would also require voters to present valid photo identification at polling stations.

Acceptable citizenship documents would include a US passport, certain government identification cards, a birth certificate or a military identification card accompanied by a service record showing a US birthplace.

The Bill would also direct states to identify and remove non-citizens from voter rolls. It proposes using information from state agencies, the Social Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.

Trump has separately called for mail-in voting to be limited to cases involving illness, disability, military service or travel.

Republicans say the measure is needed to strengthen election security and ensure that only citizens participate in federal elections. Non-citizens are already prohibited from voting in federal and state elections, and election experts say such voting is rare.

Democrats argue the legislation could prevent eligible citizens from voting, particularly low-income people and others who may have difficulty obtaining government-issued identification or citizenship documents. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer has said the measure would be “dead on arrival” in the Senate.

IANS