U.S. President Donald Trump.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
With the country locked in an unpopular conflict that may drag on for a long time, U.S. President Donald J. Trump is pushing hard to rewrite the rules of the American electoral system before the November midterm elections. A Bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and stuck in the Senate proposes a nationwide requirement for each voter to provide documentary proof of citizenship. The proposed measures closely resemble the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) currently under way in India, and Mr. Trump believes that a sweeping overhaul of the electoral laws will ensure Republican dominance for a “long time”.
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It will “guarantee the midterms” for the Republican Party, which could otherwise face serious setbacks, he told lawmakers on Monday (March 9, 2026). “…you will win the midterms and you will win every election for a long time,” he said. “I’m not going to sign anything until this is approved,” he added, even as the Republican leader in the Senate, John Thune, remains reluctant to bend legislative procedure to pass the Bill that the Democrats have blocked.
Unpopular war
The entire House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate is elected every two years in November. Opinion polls show both Mr. Trump and the Republican Party with more people disapproving than approving. The Iran war is opposed by 53% of Americans, with only 40% supporting the military action, according to a Quinnipiac University poll conducted over March 7-8, 2026. Republicans back the war decisively at 85%, but the general public is firmly against it. Republicans currently hold a majority in the Senate, 53-47, and 219 seats against the Democrats’ 213 in the House.
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act — the SAVE Act — was passed by the House in February and is now before the Senate. Amid the raging war in West Asia, Mr. Trump and his allies have continued to push for its passage. On Wednesday (March 11, 2026), Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn, who needs Mr. Trump’s endorsement for his re-election bid, has come out in support of any measure to get the proposed law passed in the Senate.
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Senate Majority Leader John Thune has ruled out the use of the ‘nuclear option’ — a change in legislative procedure to bypass the requirement of 60 votes to end debate and move to a vote. The prolonging of debate, or filibuster, is an instrument that many Republican Senators are unwilling to surrender. Mr. Trump wants them to do so and pass the Bill by a simple majority. The Bill is now expected to come up for debate in the Senate next week, though its passage is uncertain.
‘Nationalise electoral process’
Mr. Trump has said he wants to “nationalise” the U.S. electoral process, which is currently a federalised system in which the Constitution grants each State its own methods. “…but Congress may at any time by law make or alter such regulations,” the Constitution provides. The President is pressing Republicans to use their legislative majority to establish a national standard for the electoral process.
There is no ambiguity in existing law that only U.S. citizens may register and vote, but documentary proof of citizenship is not required in most States. Voters must prove their identity, residency and age, and most voter registrations are processed through motor vehicle bureau transactions. Online registration portals and special enrolment drives are also available. There is a presumption of citizenship — as is the case in India — though in recent years, corresponding to the rise of America First nationalism, several Republican-controlled States have introduced new rules restricting voter registration and voting. The proposed federal law requires voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship at the time of voter registration and a photo ID at the time of voting.
The proposed law lists an enhanced driver’s licence indicating citizenship, a valid U.S. passport, or any other valid government-issued photo ID together with evidence of birth as a U.S. citizen or naturalisation, as acceptable proof of citizenship for voter registration. Military IDs without accompanying documentation such as a birth certificate would not suffice. As per the Bill, those who register by mail must present their documents in person at the office of the appropriate election official before the voter registration deadline.
Each State would be required to submit its voter registration list to the Department of Homeland Security for comparison against the agency’s database. All this would have the effect of moving the U.S. towards a more centralised electoral administration. In 2025, Mr. Trump had attempted to enforce a documentation requirement through an executive order, but the judiciary blocked the move. He has since said that, regardless of the route taken, voter IDs will be compulsory in the coming midterm elections.
Threat of disenfranchising millions
Democrats have said they will not allow the Bill to pass the Senate. Voting rights campaigners and civil society organisations have cited various studies arguing that such a documentation burden will disenfranchise millions of people and will disproportionately affect members of minority communities. One survey suggests that one in ten eligible voters may not be able to produce a document such as a birth certificate, passport or naturalisation certificate. An estimated 69 million American women and four million men do not have a birth certificate that matches their current legal name — 84% of women who marry change their surname. Changes in location and name may be one reason why India’s SIR is also seeing a disproportionate number of women excluded from the electoral roll.
Mr. Trump believes the Democrats are deliberately enrolling non-citizens to vote and that there is a conspiracy to alter the demographic composition of the U.S. He considers voter restriction essential to counter this. The coming week will show how far Republican Senators are willing to go with Mr. Trump on this issue.
Published – March 13, 2026 12:21 pm IST
