US woman who registered dog to vote in 2 elections charged with 5 felonies

A Californian 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 on Friday.

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.

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.