President Donald Trump on August 17 posted on X that India's Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, earlier this month asked his administration how the U.S. can hold elections without a valid photo ID. Trump cited India's last election, which had 646 million voters, with less than 1% voting by mail and every voter required to present a valid photo identity document.
Trump used the exchange to renew his call for passing the Save America Act, legislation that would mandate photo identification for all U.S. federal elections. He wrote, "We need to pass THE SAVE AMERICA ACT, now!" The post, which Trump retweeted from his own account, underscores his longstanding push for voter ID laws.
The Indian election commissioner's question highlights a contrast between the two countries' voting systems. India's 2024 general election was the largest in history, with over 640 million voters casting ballots, primarily in person. The U.S. does not have a uniform federal photo ID requirement, with voter ID laws varying by state.
