Dog Voter Scandal: Laura Lee Yourex Faces Felony Charges for Registering Dog to Vote in California Elections
A woman from Orange County, Laura Lee Yourex, has been accused of illegally registering her dog, Maya, to vote in California elections in 2021 and 2022. The U.S. Department of Justice charged her with five felonies for this act. The dog's vote was counted in the 2021 gubernatorial recall election but was rejected in the 2022 primary election. The Orange County District Attorney's Office received a report from the Registrar of Voter's Office in October 2024 about a resident who admitted to registering her dog to vote and casting a mail-in ballot in the dog's name.
Investigators found incriminating evidence on Yourex's social media pages, including photos of Maya wearing an "I voted" sticker and posing with a voter's ballot. Another post in October 2024 showed Maya's dog tag and a vote-by-mail ballot, even though Maya had passed away. According to California Elections Code, a person must be registered as a voter by submitting an Affidavit of Registration with personal information and a certification of U.S. citizenship. Proof of residence or identification is not required for state elections, but it is necessary for federal elections.
Yourex faces charges of perjury, offering a false document, registering a non-existent person to vote, and casting a ballot when not entitled to vote, all of which are felonies. If convicted, she could be sentenced to a minimum of six years in state prison. The 2021 election to recall California Governor Gavin Newsom was voted down by 61.9% of voters. It is crucial to uphold the integrity of the voting system and ensure that only eligible individuals participate in elections.