A California woman faces up to six years in prison after registering her deceased dog to vote and casting ballots in two state elections—an act she says was meant to spotlight flaws in the state’s voter registration system.
A 62-year-old California resident, Laura Lee Yourex of Costa Mesa, has appeared in court charged with registering her dog, Maya Jean Yourex, to vote and submitting mail-in ballots in the animal’s name during the 2021 gubernatorial recall and the 2022 primary elections. Prosecutors say the first ballot was counted, while the second was rejected.
Photographs posted on social media show the dog wearing an “I Voted” sticker following the 2021 election, and another showing Maya’s dog tag alongside a vote-by-mail ballot with the caption, “maya is still getting her ballot,” despite the dog having passed away.
Thursday’s court appearance was brief, and no plea was entered. Her attorney, Jaime Coulter, said, “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.”
She faces five felony charges—including perjury, submitting false documents, registering a non-existent person, and casting ballots when not entitled to vote—and could be sentenced to up to six years in state prison if convicted.
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