Archive · 19 Aug 2026
Trump Praises India’s Voter ID System Amid Roll Revision Row
Donald Trump praised India for requiring voters to show photo identification.
He said this supports his effort to require voter ID in United States federal elections.
His proposed Save America Act has passed the House but not the Senate.
India is also checking its voter lists through a process called a Special Intensive Revision.
Some Indian political groups worry that many genuine voters could be removed.
In Maharashtra, forms for more than two crore voters had not been returned.
In Delhi, one-third of voters had not submitted forms.
The Election Commission says the forms were distributed and that people can appeal or register again if they are wrongly excluded.
Donald Trump cited India’s voter ID requirements while urging passage of the Save America Act in the United States.
Trump said India’s last election had 646 million voters, with less than 1% voting by mail and every voter required to show photo identification.
India’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls has prompted opposition concerns over large numbers of potentially excluded voters.
In Maharashtra, forms for more than two crore of 9.78 crore registered voters had not been received, while Delhi reported a 33% shortfall.
The Election Commission says the unreturned forms involve absent, duplicate, deceased or permanently shifted voters and that appeals or new registrations remain possible.
- Who
- United States President Donald Trump, India’s Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the Election Commission, and Indian opposition representatives.
- What
- Trump praised India’s voter ID system while India faced controversy over its Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
- When
- The report discusses the current electoral-roll revision and an upcoming draft roll scheduled for August 24; it does not specify a year.
- Where
- The comparison concerns elections in the United States and India, with roll-revision concerns highlighted in Maharashtra, Delhi and West Bengal.
- Why
- Trump is seeking support for the Save America Act, while India’s roll revision is intended to identify and remove absent, duplicate, deceased and permanently shifted voters.
Opposition Concerns
Election Commission Position
Potential voter exclusion
Opposition Concerns
Opposition figures argue that large numbers of voters may be deleted from the rolls, potentially preventing genuine voters from casting ballots.
Election Commission Position
The Election Commission categorizes unreturned forms as involving absent, duplicate, deceased or permanently shifted voters.
Distribution of forms
Opposition Concerns
Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav accused booth-level officers of not distributing forms in unauthorized colonies and villages.
Election Commission Position
The Election Commission rejected the allegation and said forms had been distributed to all existing voters.
Burden of documentation
Opposition Concerns
Critics question why voters must provide their own and their parents’ records when India lacks a standard citizenship document, and why discrepancies persisted for years.
Election Commission Position
The revision process allows aggrieved people to appeal their exclusion or register as new voters after moving to another location.
- India’s voter ID system
- The Election Commission has issued photo identity cards to voters since 1993.
- Trump’s claim
- Trump said India’s last election had 646 million voters, less than 1% of whom voted by mail.
- Save America Act
- The bill would require proof of citizenship for voter registration and valid voter ID for federal elections.
- Congressional status
- The legislation has passed the United States House of Representatives multiple times but has not cleared the Senate.
- Maharashtra forms
- More than two crore enumeration forms had not been received among 9.78 crore registered voters.
- Delhi forms
- Thirty-three percent of enumeration forms had not been submitted, putting at least one in three voters at risk of deletion.
- Draft roll date
- The report says the draft electoral roll was scheduled for publication on August 24.