A Costa Mesa woman accused of registering her dog to vote and casting two ballots in the dog’s name has been charged with five felonies, authorities said Friday, Sept. 5.
Laura Lee Yourex, 62, allegedly registered her dog, Maya Jean Yourex, to vote and cast two mail-in ballots – in the 2021 California gubernatorial recall election of California Governor Gavin Newsom and the 2022 primary election, Orange County District Attorney spokeswoman Kimberly Edds said.
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The first ballot was counted; the second was rejected, she said.
The DA’s office began investigating in late October after the Orange County Registrar of Voters office informed them of a resident who self-reported that she had registered her dog to vote and had cast mail-in ballots addressed to her dog, according to Edds.
The DA’s office learned that Yourex had posted photos to social media, one in January 2022 of her dog wearing an “I voted” sticker, and one in October 2024 of Maya’s dog tag and a vote-by-mail ballot with the caption “Maya is still getting her ballot,” even after the dog had passed away, Edds said.
Yourex is scheduled to appear in Westminster Superior Court on Tuesday, where she may enter a plea to two counts of casting a ballot when not entitled to vote, and one count each of perjury, procuring or offering a false or forged document to be filed and registering a non-existent person to vote.
Yourex could face a six-year sentence if convicted of all counts.
She declined to comment.
Proof of residence or identification is not required for citizens to register to vote in state elections or cast ballots in state elections, which was how Maya’s vote counted in the recall election of Newsom, which was voted down by nearly 62% of voters.
It was not immediately known on Friday how Maya voted in that election.
However, proof of residence and registration is required of first-time voters in federal elections, and the ballot in Maya’s name for the 2022 primary was challenged and rejected, Edds said.
According to the California Elections Code, a person must be registered as a voter by filling out and submitting an Affidavit of Registration in order to vote, Edds said. That paperwork includes filling out the voter’s name, residence, mailing address, date of birth, party preference and a certification that the voter is a citizen. It must be signed under penalty of perjury.
