WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has cited India’s election system while renewing his call for Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, legislation that seeks to tighten voter-identification and citizenship requirements for federal elections.
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.
“Earlier this month, India’s Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, asked our Administration, How can you have Elections in the US without a valid Photo ID?” Trump said.
Referring to India’s most recent general election, he claimed that 646 million people voted and that less than 1% cast their ballots by mail, while “every single Voter had to have a VALID Photo Identity Document.”
Trump again urged Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, saying the legislation was needed to strengthen election security.
According to the White House, the proposed law would ensure that only US citizens are eligible to vote in federal elections. It would require voters to provide valid identification and proof of US citizenship when registering to vote.
The bill would also seek to restrict mail-in voting to specified circumstances, including illness, disability, military service and travel. It would further require states to remove non-citizens from federal voter rolls, according to the administration.
The White House has described the legislation as a “common sense, bipartisan bill”, arguing that only American citizens should determine the outcome of US elections.
The administration has also compared US voting procedures with those in other countries. It said India and Brazil link voter identification to biometric databases, while the US largely relies on self-attestation for citizenship.
What is the SAVE America Act?
The SAVE America Act is proposed legislation aimed at tightening voting requirements in US federal elections. Its key provisions include:
Requiring valid identification for voter registration.
Requiring proof of US citizenship.
Restricting mail-in voting, with exceptions for illness, disability, military service or travel.
Requiring states to remove non-citizens from federal voter rolls.
The bill was introduced in Congress on January 29. Trump has repeatedly urged both Republicans and Democrats to support it, arguing that stricter citizenship and voter-identification requirements are necessary to protect the integrity of US elections.
The legislation also contrasts US election procedures with those of other countries, citing India and Brazil’s use of voter identification linked to biometric databases and pointing to stricter voting and mail-ballot rules in countries including Germany, Canada, Denmark and Sweden.
