Laura Lee Yourex, a 62-year-old resident of Costa Mesa, California, faces five felony charges after allegedly registering her dog to vote and posting the ballot on Facebook. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office announced on Friday (September 5) that Yourex registered her dog, Maya Jean, to vote in the 2021 California gubernatorial recall election and the 2022 primary election. While the dog's vote was counted in the 2021 election, it was rejected in 2022.

According to the Orange County District Attorney's Office, Yourex is charged with one count of perjury, one count of procuring a false or forged document to be filed, two counts of casting a ballot when not entitled to vote, and one count of registering a nonexistent person to vote. The charges stem from Yourex's social media posts, which included a photo of Maya wearing an "I Voted" sticker and posing with a ballot in January 2022. In October 2024, Yourex posted another photo showing Maya's dog tag and a vote-by-mail ballot, despite the dog having passed away.

The Orange County Registrar of Voters was alerted to the situation when Yourex self-reported her actions on October 28, 2024. The Los Angeles Times reported that proof of residence is not required to vote in California state elections, which allowed Maya's vote to be counted in 2021. However, federal elections require proof of residency, leading to the rejection of Maya's 2022 ballot.

Yourex is scheduled to be arraigned at the Stephen K. Tamura West Justice Center in Westminster, California, on September 9, 2025. If convicted on all counts, she faces a maximum sentence of six years in state prison.

Emery Songer