Donald Trump Praises India’s Voter ID System, Pushes for Stricter US Election Rules

Guwahati: US President Donald Trump has pointed to India’s voter identification system as an example of stronger election safeguards while renewing his demand for tighter voting requirements in the United States.

In a social media post, Trump referred to his recent conversation with India’s Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and highlighted India’s requirement for voters to carry valid photo identification. According to Trump, Kumar questioned how elections could be conducted in the United States without mandatory photo identification.

Trump used the comparison to reiterate his support for the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, which is currently before the US Congress.

The proposed legislation seeks to tighten voter registration rules for federal elections by requiring documentary proof of US citizenship as well as government-issued photo identification. The White House has backed the measure, arguing that it would ensure that only eligible US citizens participate in federal elections.

The Trump administration has also compared the US system with electoral practices in countries including India and Brazil. It has pointed to the use of voter identification and biometric systems in those countries while contrasting them with the US system, where citizenship is generally established through self-attestation during voter registration.

Trump also highlighted the scale of India’s electoral process, noting that around 642 million people participated in the country’s most recent general election. He said India requires voters to present valid photo identification and has a relatively low proportion of voters using postal ballots.

The SAVE America Act was introduced in Congress on January 29. Besides requiring documentary proof of citizenship for federal voter registration, the legislation proposes photo identification requirements at polling stations and tighter rules governing absentee voting.

Trump’s remarks come as the debate over voter identification and election security continues in the United States, with the administration seeking to bring federal voting rules closer to the standards it says are followed by countries such as India.

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