Trump cites India’s photo Voter ID, says US needs to pass voter registration law
US President Donald Trump. (Photo: AP)United States President Donald Trump Tuesday cited India’s electoral system, in which all voters have valid photo IDs, while renewing his push for passage of the Save America Act, which requires proof of citizenship for voter registration in his country.
In a social media post, he wrote, “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 claimed that India’s last election involved 646 million voters, with less than 1 per cent voting by mail, and said every voter was required to present a valid photo identity document. Trump then repeated his call for Congress to act, saying, “We need to pass THE SAVE AMERICA ACT, now.”
Trump’s statement comes after US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor met Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at the Election Commission of India’s headquarters in New Delhi on August 12.
EC officials said the CEC had informed Gor about India’s electoral processes, the last Lok Sabha elections and the Electors’ Photo Identity Card (EPIC) or Voter ID. The CEC, who is chairing the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance this year as a part of India’s chairship, has been holding meetings with ambassadors and high commissioners for the past few months.
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Gor has endorsed President Trump’s renewed push for stricter voter identification requirements in the United States under the proposed Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, citing India’s election system as an example.
In a post on X, Gor backed Trump’s remarks on India’s voter identification requirements and urged Congress to pass the legislation. “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.
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! pic.twitter.com/lqQHSZvWk7
— Ambassador Sergio Gor (@USAmbIndia) August 18, 2026
After the meeting with Gor, the EC said on X, “Both sides reaffirmed their shared commitment to strengthening democratic cooperation, in line with the vision set out at IICDEM [India International Conference on Democracy and Election Management] 2026. They also agreed to work closely together to deepen collaboration on election management and the training of election staff.”
There is no information yet from the US Embassy in New Delhi on what was discussed during the meeting. An email has been sent to the Embassy in this regard.
What is Save America Act?
The proposed Save America legislation seeks to introduce documentary proof of US citizenship for voter registration in federal elections and photo identification requirements for voting. It would also establish measures concerning voter registration and federal voter rolls, including provisions aimed at preventing non-citizens from registering to vote in federal elections.
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The White House has described the measure as a way to ensure that only US citizens participate in federal elections. “American citizens — and only American citizens — should decide American elections,” the White House said, describing the proposal as a “common sense, bipartisan bill.”
The proposed legislation has drawn criticism from Democratic lawmakers, who have argued that documentary proof requirements could create additional barriers for eligible voters who lack readily available proof of citizenship.
