A 62-year-old woman in California is facing up to six years in prison after being charged with registering her dog to vote.
Laura Yourex, from Costa Mesa, allegedly submitted voter registration details for her pet, Maya Jean, and later posted photographs online showing the dog with an “I Voted” sticker during California’s 2021 gubernatorial election.
In October 2024, she shared another image of Maya’s dog tag alongside a vote-by-mail ballot, captioned: “Maya is still getting her ballot,” even though the dog had died.
Authorities said Yourex eventually reported herself over the alleged voter fraud. Following an investigation, she was charged with multiple felonies, including perjury, procuring or offering a false or forged document, casting a ballot when not entitled to vote, and registering a non-existent person to vote.
During a brief court appearance on Tuesday, Yourex did not enter a plea. Her lawyer, Jaime Coulter, said her actions were meant to highlight flaws in California’s voting system.
“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,” Coulter told reporters.
The Orange County District Attorney’s office said under California election law, citizens can register to vote by submitting an affidavit signed under penalty of perjury, with no requirement to provide proof of residence or identification in state elections. However, proof of residence is required for first-time voters in federal elections.
The office confirmed that the 2022 primary ballot cast in Maya Jean’s name was flagged and rejected.
Voter roll security has remained a controversial political issue in the US, with Republicans frequently claiming, without evidence, that rolls are rife with non-citizens and dead people.
Leave a Reply