New Delhi: US President Donald Trump has invoked India’s electoral system while renewing his call for Congress to pass the proposed SAVE America Act, legislation aimed at introducing stricter voter identification and citizenship verification requirements for federal elections in the United States.
In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump referred to a recent conversation involving India’s Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and highlighted India’s use of photo identification for voters. Trump said Kumar had asked how elections could be conducted in the US without a valid photo ID.
Referring to India’s 2024 Lok Sabha election, Trump claimed that around 646 million voters participated and that less than one per cent voted by mail, while voters were required to possess valid photo identification documents. He used the comparison to argue in favour of stronger identification requirements in American elections.
Trump also urged Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, saying the legislation was needed to strengthen election security. The White House has described the proposed law as a measure to ensure that only US citizens participate in federal elections.
According to the White House, the bill would require voters to provide valid identification and proof of US citizenship when registering for federal elections. It would also require states to remove non-citizens from federal voter rolls.
The legislation proposes restrictions on mail-in voting, with exceptions for circumstances including illness, disability, military service and travel. Trump has repeatedly backed the measure and called on lawmakers from both parties to support it.
The White House has also compared US voting procedures with those in countries including India and Brazil, arguing that these nations have stronger voter-identification mechanisms. It said India and Brazil link voter identification with biometric databases, while the US largely relies on self-attestation of citizenship.
The SAVE America Act was introduced in Congress on January 29. Trump has continued to argue that stricter citizenship and voter-ID requirements are necessary to safeguard the integrity of US elections.
