A woman in Orange County, California registered her dog to vote.
Not kidding. Her actual dog.
The dog's name is Maya Jean. And in 2021, Maya Jean cast a mail-in ballot in the California gubernatorial recall election against Gov. Gavin Newsom.
That ballot was accepted. It was counted. Nobody caught it.
Reminder: Last year, a woman in Orange County, CA was charged w/ felonies after she successfully registered her dog to vote in CA and casted multiple mail in ballots in the dog's name in CA elections. She was only caught because she turned herself in and her attorney said she… pic.twitter.com/HHNYXUg84C
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) June 8, 2026
The only reason any of us know about it is because the owner, Laura Lee Yourex, turned herself in. Her attorney said she wanted to “make a point” about how easy it is to cheat in California elections.
Point made.
Before her arrest, Yourex had been openly mocking the whole thing on social media. She posted photos of Maya Jean posing with her mail-in ballots. She kept getting new ones in the mail. She kept posting. Nobody stopped her.
So how does a dog's ballot get counted?
Here's what the Orange County District Attorney's office said:
“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.”
Read that again.
No ID. No proof you live there. You sign up, you vote, that's it. At least in California.
Now, Maya Jean did have one ballot rejected. The 2022 primary ballot was flagged and tossed out.
But not because California caught anything.
It got rejected because federal elections have a different rule: first-time voters have to show proof of registration and residence.
State elections? No such rule. Wide open.
Yourex pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of registering a nonexistent person to vote. She has no prior criminal record. Sentencing is set for October.
“Nonexistent person.” That's the legal term they used. Funny thing is, Nevada's voter rolls are full of nonexistent people too.
The Pigpen Project has documented tens of thousands of questionable registrations. Dead people. People who've moved. People who never existed. Nevada Democrats have blocked every serious attempt to clean it up.
The Maya Jean story isn't just a California problem. It's a snapshot of what weak election laws produce everywhere.
Democrats and their allies in the media have spent years telling us voter fraud doesn't exist. Or that it's so rare it doesn't matter.
They probably said as much to Maya Jean.
Now ask the real question: How many dogs aren't turning themselves in?
Yourex exposed one gap in one county in one state because she wanted to make a point. But the same rules that let Maya Jean's ballot sail through in California exist in various forms across the country.
And most people committing fraud aren't calling press conferences about it.
A dog voted. Her ballot counted. And we only found out because the person who did it did it to make a point.
If you're not bothered by that, you're not paying attention.
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views. Digital technology was used in the research, writing, and production of this article. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
