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A new debate has once again erupted at the global level regarding the electoral systems of the United States of America, which is said to be the world’s oldest democracy, and India, the largest democracy. US President Donald Trump has expressed deep dissatisfaction over the loose rules of Voter Identification and citizenship verification in America and has praised the functioning of the Election Commission of India. In an official post released on his social media platform ‘Truth Social’, President Trump has appealed to the US Parliament (Congress) to pass the proposed ‘SAVE America Act’ with immediate effect to ensure fair and secure elections in the country. Trump has set before the world the concrete example of 64.6 crore voters voting with mandatory valid photo identity cards in the last Lok Sabha elections in India to highlight the flaws present in the American electoral system.
The Times of India report According to , Donald Trump, referring to a recent discussion with Chief Election Commissioner of India Gyanesh Kumar, wrote that he had directly asked our administration that how can elections be conducted in America without any mandatory and valid photo identity card? Praising India’s vast democratic process, Trump emphasized that in a country as vast as India, 646 million voters exercised their franchise, where less than 1 percent people resorted to mail-in balloting and it was mandatory for every citizen reaching the polling booth to have a valid photo identity card issued by the government.
Example of India’s 64.6 crore voters and valid photo ID
According to Financial ExpressPresident Trump said that India’s election system presents an ideal model for the world, where no one can cast a fraudulent vote without a biometric and photo-based voter identity card (EPIC). In contrast, in many US states even today, voters are not asked for any solid photo ID during federal elections and are allowed to vote only on the basis of self-attestation.
The official briefing issued by the White House also underlined that while countries like India and Brazil link their voter identification systems to a strong biometric database, the US is still lagging behind many developing countries in implementing basic and mandatory election security measures. The Trump administration believes that the first condition of a transparent democracy is that only and only the legitimate citizens of that country should participate in the voting process, so that there is no doubt on the purity of the election results.
What is ‘SAVE America Act’ and why is there political turmoil in America?
Report by The Indian Express According to the U.S., the ‘Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act’ or ‘SAVE America Act’ is a proposed federal law aimed at making voting rules in US federal elections stricter and more transparent. Under this bill, voters would be required to present documentary proof of their US citizenship (such as a passport or birth certificate) before registering on the voter list and a valid government photo ID at the time of voting.
Additionally, the law directs all states to thoroughly examine their voter lists and exclude names of all non-citizens. This bill also makes a provision to limit mail-in voting only to exceptional circumstances like serious illness, disability, military service or foreign travel. The Republican Party and conservative think-tanks are hailing the bill as a historic step forward for election security, while opposition Democratic Party leaders argue that such stringent rules would make it harder to vote for millions of poor and minority citizens who do not have readily available official documents.
Meeting of US Ambassador Sergio Gore and Chief Election Commissioner
This statement of Trump has come to light at a time when the newly appointed US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor met Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at ‘Nirvachan Sadan’, the headquarters of the Election Commission of India in New Delhi. During this meeting, the Chief Election Commissioner of India informed the US delegation about India’s election management, security of EVMs and VVPATs and technology of voter photo identity card.
After the meeting, US Ambassador Sergio Gore also supported President Trump’s statement and wrote on social media that President Trump is absolutely right that 64.6 crore voters of India voted with mandatory identity card and the US Congress should pass the ‘SAVE America Act’ without any delay. Navbharat Times report According to, the election officials of both the countries have also held positive talks regarding election management and technical cooperation.
Global credibility of Indian electoral system and direction of electoral reforms
The voter identification system developed by the Election Commission of India (ECI) has today become a global standard for democratic countries around the world. The journey of Voter Photo Identity Card (EPIC), which started in the 1990s, has today become very modern with digital e-EPIC and Aadhaar linkage. In India, the possibilities of fraudulent voting have been almost eliminated through inking of polling stations, voter slips with photographs and biometric verification.
The US President openly praising this model of India shows that India is not only self-reliant in terms of electoral technology and management, but is also showing the western countries the path to transparent conduct of democratic processes.