A Costa Mesa woman has been charged with multiple felonies after allegedly registering her dog to vote and casting ballots in two California elections, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors said in a press release that Laura Lee Yourex, 62, faces five felony counts, including perjury, offering a false or forged document for filing, casting a ballot when not entitled to vote, and registering a non-existent person to vote.
Why It Matters
While prosecutors emphasized that the case involved a single fraudulent registration that did not affect election outcomes, it comes amid a national debate over the security of mail-in ballots. President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that widespread voter fraud occurs through mail voting and has vowed to eliminate the practice.
California election officials, however, maintain that cases of voter fraud are extremely rare in the state, with safeguards in place to detect and reject invalid ballots. In August, Trump vowed to sign an executive order to end the use of mail-in ballots and voting machines ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
What To Know
Yourex registered her dog, identified as “Maya Jean Yourex,” as a voter and submitted mail-in ballots under the dog’s name in the 2021 gubernatorial recall election and the 2022 primary election, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
Officials say the ballot cast in 2021 was successfully counted, while the ballot cast in 2022 was flagged and rejected.
The District Attorney’s Office was alerted to the case in October 2024 when Yourex reportedly self-disclosed the fraudulent registration to the Orange County Registrar of Voters.
Investigators later determined that she had obtained and submitted ballots on behalf of her dog.
Under state law, a voter registration affidavit must include personal information such as name, residence, date of birth, and a signed certification of U.S. citizenship, according to the California Elections Code.
Proof of residence or identification is not required for voter registration in state elections, though federal elections impose stricter requirements. Officials said that the lack of verification allowed Maya Jean’s registration to initially be processed.
Investigators also cited Yourex’s social media activity as part of their findings.
In January 2022, she posted a photo of her dog wearing an “I Voted” sticker alongside a ballot. Another post in October 2024 appeared to show a ballot addressed to Maya Jean, even though the dog had died.
The 2021 recall election, in which Yourex’s dog’s ballot was counted, ultimately failed to remove Governor Gavin Newsom from office, with 61.9% of voters opposing the recall.
What People Are Saying
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office said in a press release that “sufficient evidence was discovered to file criminal charges against Yourex for illegally registering her dog to vote and then casting mail-in ballots issued to her dog based on the fraudulent voter registration.”
Laura Lee Yourex wrote on a social media after her dog died that “Maya is still getting her ballot.”
Fox News National Correspondent Bill Melugin wrote in a post on X: “One must now wonder—how many animals will be successfully voting on California’s redistricting measure (Prop 50) this fall?”
What Happens Next
Yourex is scheduled to be arraigned on September 9, 2025, at the Stephen K. Tamura West Justice Center in Westminster. If convicted, she faces up to six years in state prison.
The post California Woman Charged After Her Dog Allegedly Voted in Two Elections appeared first on Newsweek.
