Dog owner faces jail time after pet’s vote counted in CA election
A woman from Costa mesa, California, named Laura Lee Yourex, registered her dog, Maya Jean, to vote and successfully cast a mail-in ballot for the dog in the 2021 gubernatorial recall election. She has since been charged with five felonies, including perjury, casting a ballot when not entitled to vote, and registering a nonexistent person to vote, and faces up to six years in prison. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office began investigating after Yourex reported herself, and found sufficient evidence to file charges. Yourex’s attorney stated that her client’s intent was to highlight vulnerabilities in California’s voting system, which does not require proof of residence or identification for voter registration or voting. A photo was also posted showing the dog with its ballot and an “I voted” sticker.
A dog’s vote was counted in California election. Its owner now faces jail time
A California woman who registered her dog to vote has been charged with five felonies and faces up to six years in prison.
Laura Lee Yourex, a 62-year-old woman from Costa Mesa, successfully cast a mail-in ballot for her dog, Maya Jean, in the 2021 gubernatorial recall election. State election officials rejected the canine’s mail-in ballot in the 2022 gubernatorial primary, according to a press release from the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
Yourex faces felony counts of perjury, procuring or offering a false or forged document to be filed, casting a ballot when not entitled to vote, and registering a nonexistent person to vote. Her arraignment, scheduled for Wednesday, was postponed.
“Laura Yourex sincerely regrets her unwise attempt to expose flaws in our state voting system, intending to improve it by demonstrating that even a dog can be registered to vote,” Yourex’s attorney, Jaime Coulter, said in a statement to NBC4 Los Angeles.
The Orange County Registrar of Voters Office notified the district attorney’s office of Yourex’s actions in October 2024 after she reported herself to the registrar’s office, according to the DA office’s press release. After an investigation, the DA’s office found “sufficient evidence” to file charges.
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According to the DA’s office, Yourex posted a picture of the dog, with its ballot, wearing an “I Voted” sticker.
California does not require proof of residence or identification to register to vote or vote in state elections.
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