OC Woman Who Had Her Dog Vote In CA Elections Could Face Prison: OCDA

COSTA MESA, CA — A 62-year-old Orange County woman is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday on charges of registering her dog to vote and casting ballots in the 2021 gubernatorial recall election and 2022 primary election, the OC District Attorney's Office reported.

Costa Mesa resident Laura Lee Yourex was accused of illegally casting ballots in her dog's name in the 2021 gubernatorial recall election and 2022 primary election, OCDA Todd Spitzer said in a statement.

She was charged Aug. 28 with single counts of perjury, procuring or offering a false of forged document to be filed and knowing registration of nonexistent person to vote and two counts of not being entitled to vote in an election, all felonies.

Prosecutors say Yourex informed the Orange County Registrar of Voters in October that she had registered her dog, Maya Jean Yourex, to vote.

According to prosecutors, the 2022 primary ballot cast in the dog's name was challenged and rejected by the Registrar because proof of residence and registration required for first-time voters was not shown.

Prosecutors said Yourex posted a photo on social media of her dog in Jan. 2022 with an "I voted" sticker. She also apparently posted in Oct. 2024 a photograph of a vote-by-mail ballot captioned: "Maya is still getting her ballot," despite the dog dying.

Yourex could face up to six years in prison if convicted of all counts at trial, prosecutors said.