US President Donald Trump wants Americans to go the India way when it comes to elections. The Republican leader signed an executive order Tuesday, mandating considerable tweaks in the country's polling process.
Trump said in India, the voter identification is linked to biometric databases, just like Brazil. He said voters in the US should provide proof that they are American citizens.
The president said the US has failed to enforce "basic and necessary" measures to ensure elections are fair as the country relies on self-attestation for citizenship.
He also cited examples of other countries, including Germany and Canada where paper ballots are required for tabulating votes while the US relies on methods lacking chain-of-custody protections.
The US president said the country has also failed to stop states from counting ballots received after election day and even allowing non-citizens to register to vote. He said Scandinavian countries like Sweden and Denmark restrict voting via mail to those who cannot vote personally and do not allow late-arriving votes.
In the executive order, Trump states that if the US should remain a constitutional Republic, "free, fair and honest elections unmarred by fraud, errors or suspicion" are required.
The development comes amid Trump's allegations about election fraud despite minimal evidence. The changes proposed in the executive order include voter citizenship verification, enforcement of non-citizen voting laws, security of voting system, prevention of external interference and prosecution of election crimes.