After U.S. President Donald Trump accused California of election fraud after a primary election on June 2, 2026, a rumor spread that state law allows people to register to vote using gym cards, as opposed to state or federal identification documents.
For example, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli of the Central District of California posted the claim on X on June 7, saying that gym membership cards and credit cards are valid forms of ID in California for people registering to vote (archived):
Essayli added that the DOJ sued the state to gain access to voter records and that the case was "before the Ninth Court of Appeals." He was referring to United States v. Shirley Weber, California's secretary of state, filed in September 2025 and dismissed by a federal court in January 2026. The DOJ appealed that dismissal in February.
Snopes readers emailed seeking to confirm the claim, a version of
In short, California requires people registering to vote to provide a state ID or the last four digits of their Social Security number, if they do not have a state ID. If a registrant has neither, they can still register and receive a "unique identifier";
This documentation can include gym membership cards.
In all cases, a person is not automatically registered to vote when they submit their information online or by mail, as every registration is subject to verification by county elections officials, according to the California secretary of state's office, which is responsible for maintaining voter rolls.
We have reached out to the California secretary of state's office asking for more details about the voter registration verification process in such cases, and about other guardrails designed to prevent voter fraud. We have contacted the Justice Department's Central District of California asking why it felt the need to audit the voter rolls and registration procedures. We will update this report should they respond.
How California registers voters
According to the California Code of Regulations, in order to comply with the Help America Vote Act of 2002, first-time voters who registered to vote without state ID or a Social Security number must present poll workers with a photo or non-photo ID. Rules allow photo IDs from the following list (emphasis ours):
1. driver's license or identification card of any state;
2. passport;
3. employee identification card;
4. identification card provided by a commercial establishment;
5. credit or debit card;
6. military identification card;
7. student identification card;
8. health club identification card;
9. insurance plan identification card; or
10. public housing identification card.
Other acceptable documents that do not have a photo also count, including utility bills, bank statements, leases or drug prescriptions from government care providers.
A video from the California secretary of state says each registration is verified against data from state and federal agencies, including the Social Security Administration and the California Department of Motor Vehicles:
Meanwhile, the website of the California secretary of state reads:
All numbers are securely verified:
- CA ID numbers are matched with DMV records.
- SSNs are matched with Social Security Administration records.
- Unique identifiers are verified by election officials.
We have asked for more details about verification procedures in case of registrations with unique identifiers — that is, registrations where the voters do not present a state ID or a Social Security number.
Essayli's post came more than two months after California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law designed to protect California voters against the seizure of voter rolls by law enforcement agents unless they are investigating a specific suspected violation of state election law.
Snopes has repeatedly debunked claims by Trump and some of his allies that fraud is widespread in U.S. elections, including the rumor that delayed election results are proof that fraud is happening.