In one of the most unusual voter fraud cases to surface in California, a 62-year-old woman is now facing serious felony charges after registering her pet dog to vote.
What makes it even stranger is that she proudly shared the stunt online, posting pictures of her dog with ballots and an “I Voted” sticker.
How the Dog’s Ballot Slipped Through
Authorities revealed that Laura Lee Yourex of Costa Mesa successfully registered her dog, Maya Jean, to vote.
Shockingly, the dog’s ballot was actually counted in the 2021 gubernatorial recall election.
However, by 2022, election officials caught on, and the attempt was flagged and rejected.
Yourex later admitted to the Orange County Registrar of Voters that she had registered Maya Jean for both the 2021 recall election and the 2022 primary.
Why It Was Even Possible
According to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, California’s voter registration process does not require proof of identification or residence for state elections.
That loophole allowed Maya Jean’s vote to go through in 2021.
Federal elections, however, have stricter rules requiring proof of residency and identity for first-time voters, which is why the 2022 attempt failed.
Posting It on Facebook
What really drew attention to this case was Yourex’s own social media activity.
In January 2022, she shared a photo of Maya wearing an “I Voted” sticker with a ballot nearby.
Then, even after Maya’s passing, she posted again in October 2024, joking that the dog was still receiving ballots.
Prosecutors included these posts as part of their case against her.
The Felony Charges
Yourex now faces five felony counts: perjury, offering a false document, two counts of casting ballots illegally, and registering a non-existent person to vote.
If convicted on all charges, she could serve up to six years in state prison.
Her arraignment is scheduled for September 9 in Westminster.
The Bigger Picture of Election Debates
This bizarre dog-voting case comes at a time when election security and mail-in ballots are at the center of heated national debates.
Former President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized mail-in voting, calling it fraudulent and demanding its abolition.
During his 2020 campaign, Trump strongly opposed mail-in ballots, blaming them for his loss to Joe Biden.
But in the 2024 election, he urged his supporters to use them.
Now, as the 2026 midterms approach, he has once again switched gears, promising to lead a movement against mail-in voting altogether.
Trump’s Push Against Mail-In Ballots
Speaking at the White House in August, Trump insisted that Republicans must fight to eliminate mail-in voting, claiming Democrats depend on it because of “horrible policy.”
He has gone as far as saying that the U.S. is the only country that still uses mail-in ballots—a claim that is demonstrably false since many democracies, including Canada, Germany, and New Zealand, use them regularly.
Despite evidence showing mail-in voting is widely used around the world without systemic fraud, Trump continues to frame it as a scam.
On his Truth Social platform, he declared that Democrats are “virtually unelectable” without relying on mail-in ballots.
What’s Next?
As Yourex prepares to face the court over her dog’s fraudulent voter registration, her case highlights both the loopholes in California’s voter registration system and the broader national fight over election integrity.
Meanwhile, Trump is pushing harder than ever to end mail-in voting before the 2026 midterms, setting the stage for yet another fierce political battle over how Americans cast their ballots.