US President praises India’s voter ID system

New Delhi, Aug 18, 2026 : US President Donald Trump has praised India’s voter ID card system and hailed it as a model for stricter US election rules. He cited India’s electoral system as an example of election security while renewing his call for stricter voter identification requirements in the United States.

In a social media post, Mr. Trump referred to a recent conversation with India’s Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. He said Mr. Kumar had questioned how elections could be held in the United States without a mandatory valid photo identity document. Mr. Trump used the remarks to reiterate his demand that the US Congress pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility-SAVE America Act.

The proposed legislation seeks to introduce stricter requirements for voting in federal elections. It would require voters to provide documentary proof of US citizenship as well as valid government-issued photo identification while registering for federal elections. The White House has described the legislation as a measure to ensure that only US citizens participate in American elections.

The US administration has also compared its electoral procedures with those followed in countries such as India and Brazil. It said India and Brazil link voter identification with biometric databases, while the United States largely relies on self-attestation for citizenship.

Mr. Trump also highlighted the scale of India’s general elections, saying around 642 million people voted in the country’s most recent general election. He noted that India requires voters to produce valid photo identification, while voting by mail accounts for less than one per cent of the electorate.

The SAVE America Act was introduced in the US Congress on January 29. It includes provisions for documentary proof of citizenship for federal voter registration, photo identification at polling stations and tighter restrictions on absentee voting.