Trump Uses India’s Election Model to Back Mandatory US Voter ID

18 Aug 2026, 12:37 by Vinay Kakkad · KalingaTV

US President Donald Trump has turned to India’s electoral system as he renews his campaign for stricter voter-identification and citizenship requirements in American federal elections, citing the scale of India’s voting process and the use of photo identification as an argument for passing the SAVE America Act.

In a post on his Truth Social platform on August 17, Trump referred to a recent interaction involving India’s Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Trump said Kumar had questioned the US administration over how American elections could be conducted without voters being required to produce valid photo identification.

Trump also pointed to India’s 2024 general election, saying it involved 646,000,000 voters. He claimed that fewer than 1 per cent of voters used postal ballots and that every voter was required to possess a valid photo identity document. He used those figures to reinforce his demand that Congress approve the SAVE America Act.

The remarks have also drawn support from US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor. In a post on X on August 18, Gor said Trump was correct to cite India, pointing to the 646 million voters in India’s last election and the requirement for identification, while urging Congress to pass the legislation.

The SAVE America Act, formally the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, is designed to tighten the rules governing federal elections in the United States. The proposal would require voters to provide proof of US citizenship when registering and present valid identification, while also imposing significant restrictions on voting by mail.

Under the White House’s description of the legislation, mail-in voting would be limited to circumstances including illness, disability, military service and travel. The proposal would also require states to remove non-citizens from federal voter rolls. The administration has framed the measure around the principle that only American citizens should determine the outcome of American elections.

The legislation was introduced in Congress on January 29, 2026. Trump has repeatedly supported the measure, arguing that stronger voter-identification and citizenship safeguards are necessary to protect the integrity of US elections. The bill has not moved through Congress without political resistance.

Trump’s latest intervention therefore places India’s experience with voter identification at the centre of his argument for changing US election rules. His reference to Kumar and to the 646 million voters in India’s last general election gives the American legislative debate an international comparison as Congress weighs the proposed changes.