US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor has endorsed President Donald Trump’s renewed push for stricter voter identification requirements in the United States under the proposed Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, citing India’s election system as an example.
In a post on X, Gor backed Trump’s remarks on India’s voter identification requirements and urged Congress to pass the legislation.
“President Donald J. Trump is absolutely correct! 646 MILLION voters, every single one required an ID in India’s last election. Congress should pass THE SAVE AMERICA ACT!” Gor said.
Gor’s remarks came after Trump, in a post on Truth Social, referred to a recent exchange involving Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
According to Trump, Kumar had asked the US administration, “How can you have Elections in the U.S. without a valid Photo ID?”
Referring to India’s 2024 Lok Sabha elections, 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.”
The Election Commission of India has said that 64.64 crore votes were polled in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, including 42.82 lakh postal ballots. Postal ballots accounted for about 0.66 per cent of the votes polled.
Trump subsequently renewed his call for Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, saying, “We need to pass THE SAVE AMERICA ACT, now!”
The proposed legislation seeks to introduce documentary proof of US citizenship for registration to vote in federal elections and photo identification requirements for voting. The Senate version, S.3752, was introduced on January 29, 2026, while the House version, H.R.7296, was introduced on January 30.
The legislation would also establish measures concerning voter registration and federal voter rolls, including provisions aimed at preventing non-citizens from registering to vote in federal elections.
The White House has described the measure as a way to ensure that only US citizens participate in federal elections.
“American citizens — and only American citizens — should decide American elections,” the White House said, describing the proposal as a “common sense, bipartisan bill.”
The Trump administration has compared the US election system with those of other countries, including India and Brazil, arguing that stronger identification and citizenship verification requirements would strengthen election safeguards.
India uses the Elector Photo Identity Card (EPIC) as a principal voter identification document. The Election Commission also allows voters to use other approved photo identity documents when casting their votes.
The 2024 Lok Sabha election was held in seven phases and recorded an overall turnout of 65.79 per cent at polling stations. The ECI’s final data showed 64.64 crore votes polled.
Most votes in India are cast in person through Electronic Voting Machines, while postal ballots are available to specified categories of voters under election rules, including service voters, absentee voters in eligible categories, voters on election duty and certain essential-service personnel.
The US election system differs from India’s, with election administration largely handled at the state level. The Trump administration has cited India’s voter identification framework while making the case for greater federal requirements in the United States.
The proposed legislation has also drawn criticism from opponents, including Democratic lawmakers, who have argued that documentary proof requirements could create additional barriers for eligible voters who do not have readily available citizenship documents.
-ANI
