Orange County officials have launched an unusual effort to verify no dogs or cats are registered voters, instructing the local elections chief to compare voting lists against animal licensing records in a bid to root out any fraudulent entries.
The Board of Supervisors voted on Sept. 23 to expand a review of pet registrations across the county, aiming to confirm no dogs, cats, or other pets are poised to cast ballots in the upcoming November special election.
This move was made after Laura Lee Yourex, a 62-year-old resident of Costa Mesa, was charged with five felonies for allegedly registering her dog, Maya Jean Yourex, to vote.
Prosecutors claim Yourex submitted registration forms for the pet and mailed in ballots during the 2021 gubernatorial recall and the 2022 primary contest. The 2021 vote was tallied under state rules that don’t mandate ID for such matters, but the 2022 federal-related ballot was flagged and discarded due to stricter identification requirements.
Yourex turned herself in after reportedly confessing the act on social media, where she posted images of her dog alongside an “I Voted” sticker and a ballot envelope. Her attorney argued the stunt was intended to highlight perceived flaws in the voting system, though authorities view it as a serious breach, carrying up to six years behind bars if convicted.
The incident has ignited debates among county leaders, particularly Republicans on the board who see it as evidence of vulnerabilities in registration procedures. Supervisor Don Wagner, a vocal proponent of ID verification, said the case illustrates how easy it is to cast fake ballots.
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