Republicans Turn Olive Garden’s 10,000 Pasta Passes Into Misleading Voter ID Pitch
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 21
Republicans Turn Olive Garden’s 10,000 Pasta Passes Into Misleading Voter ID Pitch
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 21
Summary
A Republican talking point cast Olive Garden’s photo-ID rule for its Never-Ending Pasta Pass as proof U.S. elections are less secure, amplifying a comparison that spread from social media to Capitol Hill and the White House.
The claim grew after Olive Garden said passholders must show photo ID because the $100 pass—sold to 10,000 buyers for 13 weeks of unlimited pasta—cannot be shared with family members.
Donald Trump had already used exaggerated claims about election vulnerabilities to pressure the Senate to advance a stalled voting-restriction bill that would impose stricter national voter-ID requirements.
The comparison misstates both current voter-ID laws and Olive Garden’s anti-sharing policy, underscoring how voting-rights debate is being reframed through viral, trivial analogies.