Citing CEC Gyanesh Kumar, Trump invokes India’s electoral system to push mandatory US voter ID

Mangalore Today News Network

US, Aug 18, 2026: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday cited India’s electoral system and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar while renewing his push for mandatory photo identification for voters in the United States.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Kumar had recently asked the US administration how elections could be held without valid photo ID.

“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?" the US president wrote.

Trump also pointed to India’s last general election, saying it had 646 million voters, with less than 1% voting by mail, and that every voter had to have valid photo identification.

“We need to pass THE SAVE AMERICA ACT, now!" Trump said, referring to legislation that seeks to tighten voter registration and identification requirements in federal elections.

What The SAVE America Act Proposes?

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act would require people registering to vote in federal elections to provide proof of US citizenship, along with valid identification.

The legislation also seeks to restrict voting by mail, with proposed exceptions including illness, disability, military service and travel. It would further require states to remove non-citizens from voter rolls.

The White House has backed the legislation, arguing that only US citizens should take part in federal elections.

The administration has also pointed to India and Brazil as examples of countries that link voter identification to biometric systems, while arguing that the US has fewer nationwide identification requirements.

Trump has repeatedly said the legislation is needed to prevent what he describes as electoral fraud.

Bill Faces Opposition In Congress

The SAVE America Act was introduced in Congress on January 29, but its passage faces political hurdles.

Democrats and Republicans remain divided over the proposed changes, particularly over the impact of stricter identification and citizenship requirements on voting access.

The US Senate adjourned earlier this month for a five-week recess without taking concrete steps towards passing the legislation.