Washington, August 18: U.S. President Donald Trump presented India’s electoral system as a model for America on Monday. He reiterated his demand for stricter voter identification rules and urged Congress to pass the “Save America Act.”
Trump shared that India’s Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, recently questioned his administration about the lack of photo ID requirements in U.S. elections. In a post on ‘Truth Social,’ Trump stated, “Earlier this month, India’s Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar asked our administration, how can you conduct elections in America without valid photo ID?”
To bolster his argument for changing U.S. federal election methods, Trump highlighted the scale of elections in India and the strict voter ID regulations. He noted, “In India’s last election, there were 646 million voters. Less than 1% voted by mail, and every voter was required to have a valid photo ID. We need to pass the ‘Save America Act’ now!”
Supporting Trump’s comments, U.S. Ambassador to India, Sergio Gore, tweeted, “President Donald J. Trump is absolutely right! In India’s last election, there were 646 million voters, and ID was mandatory for everyone. Congress should pass the ‘Save America Act’!”
The Republican-led House passed a revised version of the law in February with a vote of 218-213, with one Democrat siding with Republicans. Previously, a bill named the Save Act had passed the House in April but stalled in the Senate. This law would require individuals to provide proof of U.S. citizenship before registering to vote in federal elections. Additionally, voters would need to present valid photo ID at polling stations.
Acceptable citizenship documents would include U.S. passports, certain government IDs, birth certificates, or military IDs (with service records indicating birth in the U.S.). The bill also instructs states to identify and remove non-citizens from voter lists, proposing the use of 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 of illness, disability, military service, or travel. Republicans argue that this measure is necessary to enhance election security and ensure that only citizens participate in federal elections. There is already a prohibition against non-citizens voting in federal and state elections, and election experts indicate that such voting is rare.
Democrats argue that this law could disenfranchise eligible citizens, particularly low-income individuals and those who may struggle to obtain government-issued IDs or citizenship documents. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer stated that this measure would “die” as soon as it reaches the Senate.
–
Leave a Comment