Washington : US President Donald Trump cited India’s election system as a perfect model for the United States, pointing to its use of photo identification and limited reliance on postal ballots as he renewed his call for Congress to pass legislation tightening voting rules.
Trump’s remarks have brought India’s election system into a contentious US debate over voter access, election security, and the use of mail-in ballots.
The SAVE America Act has been stalled in the Senate as Trump and his Republican allies push for tighter voting rules ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump referred to India’s 2024 general election, saying more than 646 million people voted and less than 1 per cent cast their ballots by mail. He also recalled Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar questioning US officials about how elections could be conducted without mandatory photo identification.
“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 wrote.
“India’s last Election had 646,000,000 Voters! Less than one per cent voted by mail, and every single Voter had to have a VALID Photo Identity Document,” he said, adding: “We need to pass THE SAVE AMERICA ACT, now.”
Trump’s remarks come as his administration seeks to build support for the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration and establish a nationwide voter-identification requirement for federal elections.
US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor backed Trump’s remarks, saying in a post on X: “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!”
The legislation also proposes tighter rules for mail-in voting, stronger verification of voter eligibility and expanded authority to identify and remove ineligible voters from registration rolls.
The White House has argued that the measures are needed to prevent non-citizens from voting and strengthen public confidence in the electoral process.
The administration has repeatedly cited India and Brazil as examples of countries where voter identification is linked to biometric systems, contrasting them with what it describes as the US reliance on self-attestation of citizenship.
An executive order signed by Trump in March 2025 cited India and Brazil as examples of countries using voter identification linked to biometric systems. It called for stronger safeguards for US elections, including voter-verifiable paper records and tighter scrutiny of mail and absentee ballots.
Trump has also repeatedly argued that voting by mail creates greater opportunities for fraud and errors. The administration has sought to bolster support for the SAVE Act by citing opinion polls that it says show broad public backing for voter identification and proof-of-citizenship requirements.
Trump signed another executive order in March 2026 directing federal agencies to strengthen citizenship verification for federal elections and tighten procedures governing mail and absentee ballots.
The SAVE Act remains politically contentious on Capitol Hill, with Democrats strongly opposing several of its provisions and disagreements also emerging among Republicans. The Senate adjourned earlier this month for a five-week recess without taking decisive action on the legislation.
Trump has nevertheless continued to make the bill a central part of his election-integrity agenda, arguing that mandatory voter identification and citizenship verification are essential to protecting US elections.
By citing India’s large-scale electoral exercise and its voter-identification requirements, Trump is increasingly using the Indian system as a reference point in his push for changes to US voting rules.
Supporters of tighter restrictions have long raised concerns over the integrity of mail-in voting. The Commission on Federal Election Reform has warned that voting by mail could increase the risk of fraud and contested elections, while noting that absentee ballots can pose particular challenges in detecting vote-buying schemes.
A 2012 New York Times investigation also examined concerns surrounding mail-in ballots, including the possibility that they could be more vulnerable to being challenged or compromised than ballots cast in person.
More recently, the House Republican Policy Committee has argued that widespread mail-in voting can increase the scope for errors and fraud, particularly in states where voter rolls are not regularly maintained, and could undermine public confidence in the electoral system.
