Washington, August 18, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
US President Donald Trump has cited India’s electoral system as an example for the United States while renewing his call for stricter voter identification requirements and urging Congress to pass the SAVE America Act.
Trump referred to a question he said Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar had recently raised with his administration regarding the absence of a nationwide photo identification requirement in US elections.
“Earlier this month, India’s Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, asked our Administration — How can you have Elections in the U.S. without a valid Photo ID?” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Highlighting the scale of India’s elections and its voter identification procedures, Trump argued that similar requirements should be adopted in the US.
“India’s last Election had 646,000,000 Voters! Less than 1% voted by mail, and every single Voter had to have a VALID Photo Identity Document. We need to pass THE SAVE AMERICA ACT, now!” he said.
US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor also backed Trump’s position. “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!” Gor said in a post on X.
The Republican-led House passed the revised legislation in February by a 218-213 vote, with one Democrat joining Republicans. An earlier version, known as the SAVE Act, had cleared the House in April but stalled in the Senate.
The proposed legislation would require documentary proof of US citizenship before an individual could register to vote in federal elections. It would also require voters to present valid photo identification at polling stations.
Documents that could be accepted as proof of citizenship include a US passport, certain government identification cards, a birth certificate or a military identification card accompanied by service records showing a US birthplace.
The Bill would also direct states to identify and remove non-citizens from voter rolls using information from state agencies, the Social Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
Trump has separately advocated limiting mail-in voting to circumstances involving illness, disability, military service or travel.
Republicans have argued that the measure would strengthen election security and ensure that only US citizens participate in federal elections. Non-citizens are already prohibited from voting in federal and state elections, while election experts have said instances of non-citizen voting are rare.
Democrats, however, contend that the legislation could prevent eligible citizens from voting, particularly low-income people and others who may face difficulties obtaining government-issued identification or citizenship documents.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer has said the legislation would be “dead on arrival” in the Senate.
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