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These days, a very important and heated debate is going on in the corridors of American politics, which is directly related to the voting system and electoral transparency. Former US President Donald Trump has once again raised a big question mark on the country’s electoral process and has demanded that Voter ID should be implemented compulsorily in America like India. Till date, in the world’s oldest and most powerful superpower like America, it has not been mandatory to show any uniform and strong government identity card for voting like in India, whereas in India, the world’s largest democracy, voting without Voter ID cannot be imagined for decades. This new statement of Trump has created an earthquake in American politics and with this, discussion has once again started at the global level on the functioning of the election systems of both the countries.
The basic and deep structure of the electoral systems of America and India
When we compare the electoral systems of the world’s two largest democracies, i.e. America and India, the difference is clearly visible. There is a constitutional and completely independent autonomous body for conducting elections in India, i.e. Election Commission of India, which conducts elections in the entire country with uniform rules and in a transparent manner. In contrast, in the United States there is no single central election commission at the federal level. Elections there are conducted under different laws and rules of states and local counties, due to which there is a lack of uniformity throughout the country and this has always been a major point of debate among American politicians.
Why is there a long and heated debate in America regarding Voter ID?
In India, Voter ID card, commonly known as ‘EPIC’, is the most prominent and official document to prove your identity at the polling booth. Without this no citizen can exercise his franchise. At the same time, in many states of America, Voter ID is not mandatory for voting, and instead permission is given to cast vote on the basis of driving license, utility bill or other local documents. Donald Trump and his supporters have long argued that this poor system leaves room for fake voting and election rigging. He clearly says that to ensure fair and safe elections in the country, every voter should have a strong photo identity card.
Donald Trump’s demand and tough question of transparency in elections
Donald Trump has repeatedly said that America should learn from countries like India in the matter of election security, where elections are made completely foolproof with the strictness of technology and documents. Trump believes that unless strict identification rules are made mandatory for voting in the US, it may be difficult to maintain complete public confidence in the election results. On the other hand, the Democratic Party and their critics argue that imposing such strict rules makes it harder for the poor, minorities, and those who do not have easily accessible modern identification to vote. This ideological difference has made this issue the most sensitive political topic in America.
Difference in voter registration and database of both countries
The process of voter registration in India has been highly streamlined and digitalized by the Election Commission, where the name of every eligible citizen is clearly recorded in the central and local voter lists for the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. In contrast, in the US, citizens have to go ahead and get themselves registered as voters, and in many states, on-the-spot registration is available even on election day. Due to this difference in documents, the American electoral system has always been the target of critics, because questions are often raised about the accuracy of the voter lists there, which is not seen in India’s tight system.
Why is the world taking inspiration from the strong electoral system of Indian democracy?
Today, the example of the huge scale with which the Election Commission of India conducts fair and peaceful elections for more than 100 crore voters is given all over the world. India has made its voting process an example for the world by adopting modern technologies like Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT). Donald Trump’s demand for Voter ID on Indian lines in the American system is the biggest proof that India’s election management system is now seen as a standard and ideal at the global level.