Washington: With midterm elections due in the United States on November 3, President Donald Trump appears to have turned his attention to Indian-American voters. Out of fear that Indian-Americans will not vote for him, Trump is reportedly planning to remove their votes altogether. Reports say there are currently 21 lakh (2.1 million) Indian-American voters in the country. Because of Trump’s hardline positions and his controversial remarks about Indians, they have backed the rival Democratic Party from the beginning.
In the 2024 presidential election, too, surveys say about 65 per cent of people of Indian origin voted for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. If the same pattern repeats this time, Trump’s chances of winning are reportedly slim, and he has therefore apparently targeted Indians deliberately.
Voter roll removals and the SAVE America Act
According to information received, the names of more than one lakh voters of Indian origin have been removed in 26 states where the Republican Party is in power. The Trump administration says the checks are being carried out to make voting in the United States more secure and to remove the names of ineligible people. Under the SAVE America Act, submitting a birth certificate or passport to prove citizenship has been made mandatory, and these strict rules apply to polling stations as well as to postal voting.
Democratic leaders, however, allege that this is not about preventing election fraud. They claim it is a conspiracy by Trump to stop eligible citizens from voting and thereby influence the midterm elections.
Trump’s slipping popularity
Meanwhile, Trump’s popularity is falling sharply. According to an AP-NORC survey, only 30 per cent of Americans are satisfied with his performance, and more than 65 per cent believe he has failed to control inflation. Fearing that this opposition will rub off on them, Republican candidates are themselves distancing themselves from Trump. Some have reportedly removed references to the America First agenda from their campaign websites and are hesitant even to share stages with him.
What are the midterms?
Under the US Constitution, the term of a Senator is six years, but elections are held every two years for one-third of the seats. Members of the House of Representatives serve two-year terms. That is why these elections, held midway through a presidential term, are called midterm elections. They decide which party holds the upper hand in the US legislature for the next two years.
This time, elections will be held for 35 Senate seats and all 435 House seats. Republicans currently lead with 53 seats in the Senate and 218 in the House. If the Republican Party loses its majority, it will become difficult for the Trump administration to turn its preferred bills into law in the coming days.