Orange County Woman Charged with Illegally Registering Her Dog to Vote in California and Casting Mail-In Ballots in Her Dog’s Name
Maya the dog with an "I voted" sticker and voter's ballot. Laura Yourex/Facebook
A Costa Mesa woman is facing felony charges after allegedly registering her dog to vote and submitting mail-in ballots in the dog’s name during two California elections.
Laura Lee Yourex, 62, was charged with five felony counts, including perjury and casting fraudulent ballots, after investigators discovered she had registered her dog, Maya Jean Yourex, to vote. Authorities say she successfully cast a vote in Maya’s name in the 2021 gubernatorial recall election and attempted to do so again in the 2022 primary, though the second ballot was rejected.
According to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, Yourex posted on social media in January 2022 a photo of Maya wearing an “I Voted” sticker and posing with a ballot. In another post from October 2024—after the dog had reportedly died—she shared a picture of Maya’s dog tag alongside another vote-by-mail ballot with the caption, “maya is still getting her ballot.”
The case came to light on October 28, 2024, when Yourex self-reported her actions to the Orange County Registrar of Voters. She admitted to submitting voter registration information using her dog’s name and receiving official mail-in ballots addressed to Maya.
And yet…Orange County refused to provide @CivilRights with voter registration records they are required to produce on demand. We had to sue! What next, someone’s pet llama 🦙 or support peacock 🦚 on the rolls?! We will find the whole darn menagerie by the time we are done!🤨 https://t.co/4e4MbTGqWu
— AAGHarmeetDhillon (@AAGDhillon) September 6, 2025
Under California law, voters must submit an affidavit including their name, birthdate, and certification of U.S. citizenship. The document is signed under penalty of perjury. However, proof of ID is not required for state elections.
Yourex is scheduled to be arraigned on September 9, 2025, at the Stephen K. Tamura West Justice Center in Westminster. If convicted on all charges, she faces up to six years in state prison.
The incident drew attention from civil rights attorney Harmeet Dhillon, who is currently suing Orange County election officials for allegedly failing to provide voter registration records. In response to the charges against Yourex, Dhillon tweeted:
“And yet…Orange County refused to provide @CivilRights with voter registration records… What next, someone’s pet llama or support peacock on the rolls?! We will find the whole darn menagerie by the time we are done!”
The 2021 recall election, in which Maya’s vote was reportedly counted, ultimately failed with 61.9% of voters opposing the removal of Governor Gavin Newsom.
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