California Woman Charged With Felonies After Registering Her DOG To Vote & Casting Mail-In Ballots in Its Name

Well, this is a new one.

A 62-year-old woman from Orange County, CA has just been charged with multiple felonies after registering her dog,”Maya,” to vote and casting mail-in ballots in its name.

Laura Lee Yourex of Costa Mesa, CA used her dog’s name to vote in elections at least twice — once in Gavin Newsom’s recall election in 2021 and in the 2022 primaries.

She is now facing up to six years in prison, if convicted.

Bill Melugin of Fox News has more details:

NEW: The Orange County, CA DA’s office has charged a Costa Mesa woman w/ illegally registering her dog to vote in California and casting mail in ballots in her dog’s name. The dog’s vote was successfully counted in the 2021 recall of Governor Newsom, but was rejected in the 2022…

— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) September 5, 2025

NEW: The Orange County, CA DA’s office has charged a Costa Mesa woman w/ illegally registering her dog to vote in California and casting mail in ballots in her dog’s name. The dog’s vote was successfully counted in the 2021 recall of Governor Newsom, but was rejected in the 2022 primary.

62-year-old Laura Lee Yourex now faces six felonies.

One felony count of perjury, one felony count of procuring or offering a false or forged document to be filed, two felony counts of casting a ballot when not entitled to vote, and one felony count of registering a non-existent person to vote.

Per OC DA office: “Proof of residence or identification is not required for citizens to register to vote in California elections nor is it required to cast a ballot in state elections. However, proof of residence and registration is required for first-time voters to vote in a federal election.  As a result, the 2022 primary ballot cast in Maya Jean’s name (the dog) was challenged and rejected. The 2021 election to recall California Governor Gavin Newsom was voted down by 61.9% of voters.

The woman also posted photos of her dog on social media with an “I voted” sticker.

The dog was registered to vote under the full name “Maya Jean Yourex.”

According to social media posts from Laura, “Maya” continued to get her ballot even after passing away .

The full Orange County DA press release reads:

A Costa Mesa woman has been charged with five felonies for illegally registering her dog to vote and casting ballots in her dog’s name in the 2021 California gubernatorial recall election and the 2022 primary election. The dog’s vote was successfully counted in the 2021 gubernatorial recall election but was rejected in the 2022 primary.

Laura Lee Yourex, 62, of Costa Mesa, has been charged with one felony count of perjury, one felony count of procuring or offering a false or forged document to be filed, two felony counts of casting a ballot when not entitled to vote, and one felony count of registering a non-existent person to vote. Yourex is scheduled to be arraigned at the Stephen K. Tamura West Justice Center in Westminster on September 9, 2025, in Department W12. She faces a maximum sentence of six years in state prison if convicted on all counts.

On October 28, 2024, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office was contacted by the Orange County Registrar of Voter’s Office about a resident who self-reported that she had registered her dog to vote and had in fact cast a mail-in ballot she received addressed to her dog, Maya Jean Yourex, for the 2021 gubernatorial recall election and the 2022 primary election.