Trump called the Indian electoral system a 'model'

US President Donald Trump has described India's electoral system as a model for America, saying that it uses photo ID for voting and has limited reliance on postal voting. He reiterated his call for Congress to enact legislation to tighten voting laws.
Following Trump's remarks, India's electoral system has become part of the ongoing debate in the US on voter access, election security and the use of postal voting.
The Save America Act is stalled in the Senate, while Trump and his Republican allies seek to tighten voting rules ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
Referring to India's 2024 general election, Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that more than 646 million people voted and less than one percent of votes were cast by mail. He also recalled that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar had questioned the US authorities as to how elections could be held in the US without mandatory photo identification.
"Earlier this month, India's Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, asked our administration - how can you hold elections in America without valid photo identification?" Trump wrote.
He said, “India had 646,000,000 voters in the last election! Less than 1 percent voted by mail and valid photo ID was required for every voter.” “We must now pass the Save America Act,” he added.
Trump's comments come as his administration tries to drum up support for the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act. The proposed law would require documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration and implement a nationwide voter ID system in federal elections.
US Ambassador to India Sergio Gore also supported Trump's statement and wrote on X, "President Donald J. Trump is absolutely right! India had 646 million voters in the last election and identity proof was mandatory for everyone." Congress should pass the Save America Act.''
The White House says the measures are needed to prevent non-citizens from voting and to strengthen public confidence in the election process.
The Trump administration has repeatedly cited India and Brazil as examples of countries where voter identification is tied to biometric systems, while pointing to a greater reliance on the self-certification system of citizenship in the United States.
An executive order signed by Trump in March 2025 also cited India and Brazil as examples of countries where voter identification is linked to biometric systems. The order called for stronger security measures for US elections, including voter-verifiable paper records and stricter vetting of mail-in and absentee ballots.
Trump has also repeatedly argued that voting by mail increases the chances of fraud and errors. The administration has also cited public opinion polls that it says overwhelmingly support the requirements to bolster support for mandatory voter ID and proof of citizenship requirements.
Trump signed another executive order in March 2026, directing him to strengthen citizenship verification for federal elections and tighten procedures for mail-in and absentee ballots.
The SAVE Act continues to be a source of political controversy on Capitol Hill. Democrats are strongly opposed to many of its provisions, while Republicans have also been divided on some issues. The Senate began a five-week recess earlier this month without taking decisive action on the legislation. However, Trump has made the bill a key part of his election integrity agenda. He says that mandatory voter identification and citizenship verification is necessary to protect American elections.
Citing India's massive electoral process and mandatory voter ID requirements, Trump is using the Indian system as a prime example in his campaign to change America's election laws.
Advocates of stricter restrictions have long questioned the transparency of voting by mail. The Commission on Federal Elections has warned that voting by mail could increase the risks of fraud and contested elections, but the commission also said that detecting absentee ballot vote-buying schemes could be particularly difficult.
A 2012 New York Times study also examined concerns about mail-in ballots, including the possibility that such ballots may be more likely to be challenged or influenced than in-person votes.
The House Republican Policy Committee also recently argued that mass mail-in voting could increase the potential for errors and fraud, particularly in states where voter rolls are not regularly updated, and could undermine public confidence in the election system.