Trump's new guru? Why US Prez is pointing to India in America's voter ID debate
President Donald Trump is advocating for the SAVE Act, citing India's strict voter identification requirements as a model for US elections. The proposal has sparked a partisan debate over election security versus potential voter suppression.
Why it matters
The debate highlights the deep ideological divide in the US regarding election integrity and the balance between accessibility and security.
TOI correspondent from Washington: United States President Donald Trump has apparently discovered the solution to America’s notoriously fickle and complicated election system: Ask India.In a Truth Social post on Monday, Trump cited purported remarks by India’s Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar questioning how Americans can conduct elections without requiring photo identification. Trump noted that about 646 million Indians voted in the last general election, with less than 1 per cent voting by mail, and every voter was required to have valid identification to argue: “We need to pass THE SAVE AMERICA ACT, now!” US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor promptly agreed with Trump in a follow-up post.The hotly-contested Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or SAVE Act, would require documentary proof of US citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections and establish national photo-ID requirements.
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