Washington: India’s Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar recently asked the US administration how elections in America can be held without a valid photo identification card, President Donald Trump said, highlighting the need for mandatory photo IDs for every US voter to curb “electoral fraud”.
Trump, in a post on Truth Social, further said less than one per cent of voters in India used postal ballots in the recent general elections, and every voter had a valid photo identity document.
The US president made these remarks to drum up support for the SAVE America Act, which would require Americans to show proof of citizenship to register to vote, impose a nationwide voter identification requirement and severely limit voting by mail.
“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 said in a post on Truth Social,
Referring to India’s last general election, Trump said, “India’s last Election had 646,000,000 Voters! Less than 1 per cent voted by mail, and every single Voter had to have a VALID Photo Identity Document” referring to India’s Electronic Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC).
In the Lok Sabha elections 2024, over 968 million people out of a population of 1.4 billion people were eligible to vote in India. Of this 642 million voters participated in what was the largest-ever election.
What is the SAVE America Act?
Trump reiterated his call for Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, saying, “We need to pass THE SAVE AMERICA ACT, now!”
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act is a proposed federal law that requires individuals to provide documentary proof of US citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections and mandates a photo ID to cast a ballot.
The legislation is aimed at ensuring that onlyUS Citizens participate in deciding federal elections. “American citizens – and only American citizens – should decide American elections,” the White House said, describing the SAVE America Act as a “common sense, bipartisan bill.”
