US President Donald Trump on Monday (local time) reiterated his call for the passage of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, citing India’s electoral system and its voter identification requirements.
Referring to India’s last general election, Trump said, “India’s last Election had 646,000,000 Voters! Less than 1 per cent voted by mail, and every single Voter had to have a VALID Photo Identity Document.”
Trump said.
In a Truth Social post, Trump cited remarks attributed to India’s Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar earlier this month concerning voter identification requirements in the United States. “Earlier this month, India’s Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, asked our Administration — How can you have Elections in the US without a valid Photo ID?
The bill seeks to ensure that only US citizens take part in determining the outcome of federal elections, according to the White House. “American citizens — and only American citizens — should decide American elections,” the White House said, describing the SAVE America Act as a “common sense, bipartisan bill. The proposed legislation would mandate that voters submit valid identification and proof of citizenship before registering to vote in a federal election, according to the White House.
It further seeks to limit mail-in ballots to specific circumstances, such as illness, disability, military service, or travel. The White House added that the Act would instruct states to purge non-citizens from their voter rolls.
