Woman who registered dog to vote in US election faces jail term

A 62-year-old woman, Laura Yourex, has been charged with registering her dog to vote in the California’s 2021 gubernatorial election.

Laura appeared in court Tuesday facing charges that could see her jailed for six years.

She had posted a photograph on social media showing her dog Maya Jean wearing an “I voted” sticker after the election.

According to AFP, another post from October 2024 showed a photograph 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.

Laura, from Costa Mesa, south of Los Angeles, reported herself to authorities over the alleged voter fraud last year.

The local district attorney investigated, and she 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 a brief court appearance Tuesday, in which she did not enter a plea, Laura’s lawyer said his client had sought to highlight what she saw as defects in the system.

“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 Laura’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.