California woman charged after registering her dog to vote, casting two ballots

A Costa Mesa woman has been charged with five felonies after investigators say she registered her dog to vote and submitted two mail-in ballots in the canine’s name.

Laura Lee Yourex, 62, was charged by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office with perjury, procuring or offering a false or forged document to be filed, casting a ballot when not entitled to vote and registering a non-existent person to vote, among other counts, the office said.

Prosecutors allege Yourex submitted mail-in ballots for her dog, Maya Jean Yourex, during California’s 2021 gubernatorial recall election and the 2022 primary. The recall ballot was counted, the DA’s office said, while the 2022 primary ballot was rejected by election officials.

The District Attorney’s Office said the matter came to light after Yourex reported herself to the Orange County Registrar of Voters in October of last year. The registrar referred the case to the DA’s office, which investigated social media posts that appeared to show the dog with voting-related materials. The office cited a January 2022 post in which a dog was pictured wearing an “I Voted” sticker and posed with a ballot.

The complaint alleges that the registrations and ballots were falsely submitted in the dog’s name, a violation of California election law. The DA’s office filed five felony charges related to the conduct. The office did not release information about a potential arraignment date or other court proceedings in its statement.

California law prohibits registering or casting ballots in the name of anyone who is not entitled to vote. Election officials said they rely on a combination of voter rolls, verification processes and referrals to identify and investigate irregularities. When ballots are submitted under questionable or false information, some are rejected while others may be processed before discrepancies are uncovered.

The case highlights scrutiny over mail-in voting procedures and the mechanisms election offices use to verify voters. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office said the investigation remains ongoing and declined to provide additional details beyond those in the filing.