Costco is unintentionally fueling the heated discourse around voter ID laws after implementing a more stringent check at its door.
The retail giant began its crackdown on shoppers sharing membership cards in early 2024, requiring customers to show their Costco card along with a photo ID when checking out.
It also began rolling out a new system in which members scan their card at the door—instead of just flashing it to a greeter.
Since the change, a number of TikToks showing the new identity check process have gone viral online.
@guaso96 Costco is becoming more strict on their policy 🤦🏻♂️ you get checked 3 times in total now, the front entrance, at checkout and on the way out 😳🙃🙃 #costco #costcofinds #id #members ♬ original sound – guaso
But while a number of people have complained about the changes, the new policies are spurring right-wingers’ voter ID discourse ahead of the 2024 election.
The push comes in the wake of California signing a law blocking local governments from enacting voter ID requirements.
“At Costco they now require your face match your membership card to verify you’re a customer,” wrote one person. “That means that it’s harder to shop at Costco illegally than it is to vote in a US federal election.”
“Costco has more ID verification than our elections,” wrote someone else.
“If it is illegal to ask me for my ID to vote I should be able shop without one too,” another right-wing user quipped. “It’s not like democracy is on the line.”
“Security only matters when they’re guarding hotdogs and samples,” swiped one commenter. “Elections don’t matter duh.”
Voter ID laws have long been a source of contention for conservatives and were frequently referenced in conspiracies of widespread voter fraud affecting the outcome of the election in 2020.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 36 states have laws “requesting or requiring voters to show some form of identification at the polls,” while other states and the District of Columbia use different verification methods, such as cross-referencing voters’ signatures.
While supporters believe voter ID laws are a good way to ensure election integrity, opponents argue strict voter ID laws do little to fight fraud and instead disproportionately hinder Black, Native, elderly, and students’ ability to vote.
Ahead of the 2024 election, some right-wing conspiracists have been fearmongering that Democrats are planning to steal the election by allowing illegal immigrants to vote.
It is illegal for non-citizens to vote in state and federal elections across the U.S. and no evidence has been found to suggest that non-citizen voting is a prevalent problem.
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