What did Trump say about India’s voting system?, Pg12

Key Highlights:

• Former U.S. President Donald Trump questioned India's election system regarding photo identification and mail-in voting, advocating for the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act in the U.S.
• The U.S. election system is highly decentralized, with states primarily determining election procedures under the Elections Clause, unlike India's centralized Election Commission of India (ECI).
• The SAVE America Act, passed by the U.S. House, proposes mandatory documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration and photo ID for voting, but faces opposition and is stalled in the Senate.
• Claims of widespread non-citizen voting in the U.S. by the Trump administration have been largely unsubstantiated by independent studies.
• India's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, aimed at purifying electoral rolls, has faced criticism for significant deletions, including a drastic fall in the gender ratio in new rolls across several states.
• The Supreme Court of India has upheld the ECI's power to conduct the SIR under Article 324 of the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act, 1950.

Detailed Insights:

• The U.S. Constitution's Elections Clause (Article I, Section 4) grants state legislatures the authority to set the "times, places, and manner" of federal elections, with Congress having the power to alter these regulations.
• The Federal Election Commission (FEC) in the U.S. primarily regulates campaign finance, lacking the broad authority over voter registration and balloting seen in India.
• The National Voter Registration Act, 1993 (Motor Voter Act) mandated U.S. states to offer voter registration at motor vehicle and public assistance offices.
• The Help America Vote Act, 2002, enacted after the 2000 presidential election, provided federal funding to states for upgrading voting equipment and establishing statewide voter databases.
• In India, the ECI conducts house-to-house enumeration to compile electoral rolls and issues Electoral Photo Identity Cards (EPIC), though other documents like Aadhaar are also accepted for identification.
• The SAVE America Act would require new registrants or those updating records to provide a passport, birth certificate, or naturalization papers, along with a government photo ID.
• Critics of the SAVE America Act argue it could disenfranchise over 20 million eligible American citizens who lack ready access to the required documentary proof of citizenship.
• The ECI's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) involves electors self-enumerating on forms, which are then scrutinized and compared with previous records by election officials.
• Anomalies in the SIR process have led to concerns, including a significant drop in the gender ratio in electoral rolls in states like Bihar and West Bengal.
• The Supreme Court affirmed that the ECI's SIR exercise is within its statutory mandate and aims to ensure the integrity and accuracy of electoral rolls.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Elections Clause: Article I, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution, granting states primary authority over federal election administration.
• Federal Election Commission (FEC): An independent U.S. agency responsible for enforcing federal campaign finance laws.
• National Voter Registration Act, 1993 (NVRA): U.S. law requiring states to offer voter registration at various government offices.
• Help America Vote Act, 2002 (HAVA): U.S. federal law providing funding for election reforms and setting minimum administration standards.
• Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act: Proposed U.S. legislation mandating documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration and photo ID for voting.
• Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC): A photo identity card issued by the Election Commission of India to registered voters.
• Special Intensive Revision (SIR): An exercise by the Election Commission of India to update and purify electoral rolls.
• Article 324: Constitutional provision establishing the Election Commission of India and its powers for election superintendence.
• Representation of the People Act, 1950: Indian law governing the preparation and revision of electoral rolls.