Laura Yourex appeared in court on Tuesday facing charges that could see her jailed for six years over registering her dog to vote.
The 62-year old posted a picture of her dog Maya Jean on social media wearing an “I voted” sticker after California’s 2021 gubernatorial election and another photograph dated October 2024 of Maya’s dog tag and a vote-by-mail ballot with the caption “Maya is still getting her ballot” even though the dog had died.
Yourex, who reported herself to authorities over the alleged voter fraud last year was charged with multiple felonies including perjury, procuring or offering a false or forged document, casting a ballot when not entitled to vote, and registering a non-existent person to vote. After the local district attorney’s investigation.
Yourex’s lawyer said his client had sought to highlight what she saw as defects in the system, after a brief court appearance Tuesday, in which she did not enter a plea.
“Laura Yourex sincerely regrets her unwise attempt to expose flaws in our state voting system, intending to improve it by demonstrating that even a dog can be registered to vote,” Jaime Coulter told reporters.
Coulter said Yourex’s intention was “to have them investigate and ultimately improve our voting registration system.”
Under California election law, citizens can be registered to vote if they submit an affidavit signed under penalty of perjury, detailing their name, residence, mailing address, date of birth and political party preference.
“Proof of residence or identification is not required for citizens to register to vote in state elections nor is it required to cast a ballot in state elections,” the Orange County District Attorney’s office said in a statement.
Proof of residence and registration is required for first-time voters in a federal election, it said.
“As a result, the 2022 primary ballot cast in Maya Jean’s name was challenged and rejected.”
