Costa Mesa Woman's Dog Voter Case Dismissed Oct. 13; She Paid $1,500 for Four Anti-Fraud Billboards Featuring the Dog
The Orange County District Attorney's Office said the case against Costa Mesa resident Laura Lee Yourex, 64, who registered her pet dog to vote, was dismissed on October 13, after she completed the terms of a plea agreement.
Under the agreement, Yourex paid $1,500 for four anti-voter-fraud billboards in Orange County featuring a photo of her late Boxer, Maya Jean, placed along the 55 and 22 freeways with a warning that voter fraud is a crime and that prosecutors will bring charges. Reports said the billboards will stay up through the November 3 election.
The case began when she registered Maya Jean as a voter and mailed ballots in the dog's name in the 2021 gubernatorial recall election and the 2022 primary. The 2021 ballot was counted, while the 2022 ballot was challenged and rejected. She later reported herself to the Orange County Registrar of Voters, which referred the case to prosecutors. In September 2025 prosecutors filed five felony counts, including perjury and voting when not entitled, exposing her to up to six years in prison.
On April 10 this year, Yourex pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of knowingly registering a nonexistent person to vote, and prosecutors dropped the remaining felony counts. After she completed the agreement, the case was dismissed this month. She had earlier said through her attorney that she meant to expose flaws in the voter registration system and regretted the attempt. Prosecutors also cited social media posts showing the dog with an "I voted" sticker and a later ballot, which became part of the investigation.
(Sources: Orange County District Attorney's Office, via the New York Post, October 16, 2026; plea background via City News Service reporting carried by FOX 11 and others)
Related: America's Electoral System (4): The Midterms: What Is on the Ballot on November 3, 2026
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Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 圣安娜旧橙县法院（资料图）· Cbl62 摄 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
