California Dog Voter Case Dismissed After Plea Deal

Laura Lee Yourex’s voter-fraud case was dismissed after she pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and paid $1,500 to fund four anti-fraud billboards, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. The plea agreement required the Costa Mesa woman to pay for the signs, which feature her dog, Maya Jean, and warn against voting when ineligible. Prosecutors said the billboards are along Orange County’s 55 and 22 freeways and are scheduled to remain through the November 3, 2026, midterm election. Yourex initially faced five felony charges. Under the agreement, prosecutors dismissed four and reduced the remaining charge to a misdemeanor. The case was dismissed after she fulfilled the agreement, prosecutors said. According to prosecutors, Yourex admitted in a written plea filing that she registered her dog in May 2020, knowing the animal was not eligible to vote. Prosecutors said a ballot in Maya Jean’s name was counted in California’s 2021 gubernatorial recall election and another was rejected in the 2022 primary. The billboards use a photograph of the dog with an “I voted” sticker and a mail-in ballot. Their message warns that voter fraud is a crime and says people who are not...