Washington August 18, 2026: US President Donald Trump has invoked India’s election system while renewing his demand for Congress to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, a proposed law aimed at imposing stricter voter-identification and citizenship requirements in US federal elections.
Trump highlighted India’s use of photo identification for voters and its relatively limited reliance on postal voting, presenting the Indian system as an example of what he believes the United States should adopt.
Trump refers to India’s Chief Election Commissioner
In a post on Truth Social, Trump referred to a recent interaction involving India’s Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Trump said Kumar had questioned how elections could be conducted in the United States without requiring voters to present valid photo identification.
Trump then used India’s electoral arrangements to strengthen his argument for tighter voting rules in the US.
He said India’s most recent general election involved about 646 million voters, with less than one per cent voting by mail, and claimed that every voter was required to have a valid photo identity document.
According to Election Commission of India figures cited by DD India, around 64.64 crore votes were polled during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, while approximately 42.82 lakh votes were cast through postal ballots, representing about 0.66 per cent of votes polled.
What is the SAVE America Act?
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, commonly referred to as the SAVE Act or SAVE America Act, seeks to tighten federal voting requirements in the United States.
The legislation would require people registering to vote in federal elections to provide documentary proof of US citizenship. It also proposes photo-identification requirements when voters cast ballots in federal elections.
Trump has made the legislation an important part of his broader campaign for stricter election rules, arguing that voter identification and citizenship verification are necessary to protect election integrity.
The White House says the proposed legislation would also direct states to remove non-citizens from voter rolls and argues that the US should adopt stronger election safeguards.
