Nov 02, 2026 15:44 pm IST

Opinion | US Has No 'Election Commission'. Trump Is Testing What That Can Mean

America does not have a central election authority that centrally undertakes these critical functions. Each of the 50 states sets its own election laws.

Brig (Retd) Anil Raman Brig (Retd) Anil Raman Columnist

Brig (Retd) Anil Raman Columnist

On October 23, a federal court ruled that President Trump broke the law by taking control of California's National Guard, despite Governor Gavin Newsom's objections. As the midterm elections on November 3 approach, the ongoing conflict between the two has escalated towards Voting Day. "I expect the worst with Trump because he's done the worst," Newsom said in May. He attacked the President as he signed the first of several laws aimed at keeping the federal government out of California's elections. This dispute is part of a larger battle: the Trump administration has tried to change voting rules, with Republican-led states mostly supporting these moves and Democratic-led states opposing them.How America runs its elections

India has a single Election Commission that oversees all elections, prepares voter lists, and announces results. In contrast, the United States does not have a central election authority that centrally undertakes these critical functions. Each of the 50 states sets its own election laws, even for Congressional elections. States decide who can register, what identification is needed, how postal ballots are counted, and how voting districts (electoral constituencies) are formed. In India, a Delimitation Commission sets constituency boundaries, but in most American states, the party in control of the state assembly draws them.

The party that controls a state also controls its voting rules, and there is no national authority to ensure uniform rules. On November 3, Americans will essentially vote in fifty different elections, each with its own set of rules.

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