The GOP Won't Let Go Of Its Olive Garden Election Analogy — And Mockery Ensues

Apparently, Republicans have decided to stick with their dubious Olive Garden election security analogy no matter how much ridicule they get in the process.

Last week, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson went viral after suggesting on Newsmax that the popular Italian-inspired restaurant chain is more insistent about security for its never-ending pasta pass than Democrats are about election security.

“I saw a tweet yesterday from Olive Garden, of all places, that in order to take advantage of their never-ending pasta pass, you have to show photo ID,” she said. “I thought, that’s weird, Olive Garden takes pasta pass security more seriously than Democrats are taking election security.”

Olive Garden does indeed require pass-holders to show a photo ID before ordering the never-ending pasta, but ― and this is an important distinction ― there’s a big difference between access to unlimited pasta and access to one’s constitutional right to vote.

Jackson’s analogy was promptly ridiculed on social media, but it hasn’t stopped Republican lawmakers from using it to promote the passage of Donald Trump’s so-called SAVE America Act.

If that bill passes ― and the chances of that currently don’t look good ― voters would need to show proof of citizenship when registering to vote and a photo ID at the time of voting.

Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) cited the Olive Garden analogy during a congressional session on Monday, saying, “Heck, you even need to present a photo ID to utilize the Olive Garden’s never-ending pasta pass.”

FOXX on Voter ID: Heck, you even need to present a photo ID to utilize the Olive Garden’s never ending pasta pass. pic.twitter.com/FZqsO7ciFg

Read more Trump Repeated This 1 Phrase As An Interview Grew More Tense — Experts Say It’s A Power Move

— Acyn (@Acyn) July 20, 2026

On Tuesday, Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) tried out the same talking point but fumbled a key detail and suggested that picture ID is required to “get pasta at Olive Garden.”

Scalise: “For God’s sake — you can’t get pasta at Olive Garden without a picture ID! Why not be able to show a picture ID to vote?” pic.twitter.com/h8rpARkc8v

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 21, 2026

Olive Garden did not immediately reply to HuffPost’s request for comment.

Not surprisingly, both Foxx and Scalise were both ridiculed for attempting to turn an Olive Garden promotion into an excuse for voter suppression.

Steve Scalise thinks Americans are stupid.

1. You don’t need photo ID to “get pasta at Olive Garden”

2. Unlike voting, pasta is NOT constitutionally protected

3. The “Never-Ending Pasta Pass” requires a photo ID. Unlike the Save Act, it DOES NOT require a passport. Note how… https://t.co/jdyNfe7Zid

— BrooklynDad_Defiant!☮️ (@mmpadellan) July 21, 2026

Yeah I remember getting my first fake ID so I could get unlimited breadsticks. https://t.co/Onj5N0sxc8

— Andrew—#IAmTheResistance (@AmoneyResists) July 21, 2026

He screwed up the analogy, which was already a bad analogy.

(If you go to Olive Garden, you do not need to show a picture ID.) https://t.co/vCETej3MaU

— Hemant Mehta (@hemantmehta) July 21, 2026

But you don’t need a passport or a birth certificate like the SAVE act requires, @virginiafoxx.

See if you can make your case without lying, and enjoy the breadsticks. https://t.co/8tusOSnggi

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— Bill Prady ⚛️ Now at 🦋 (@billprady) July 20, 2026