California doesn’t check citizenship when people register to vote.
asserted
people → check → citizenship
That’s how a dog was able to participate in two recent elections.
asserted
dog → ’ → elections
Costa Mesa resident Laura Lee Yourex registered her dog, Maya Jean, to vote in 2020.
asserted
Yourex → register → 2020
She cast two mail-in ballots in different elections in the dog’s name, according to the Orange County district attorney.
uncertain
She → cast → attorney
Maya Jean’s ballot counted in the 2021 recall election against Gov. Gavin Newsom.
asserted
ballot → count → Newsom
(Newsom survived.)
asserted
Newsom → survive → ?
Maya Jean tried to vote again in the 2022 primary (that is, Yourex mailed a ballot on the dog’s behalf), but the dog’s ballot was rejected because there were federal races on the ballot that triggered verification requirements for certain first-time voters.
asserted
that → try → voters
If the state of California had been the only authority involved, Maya Jean’s ballot would have been counted without question.
asserted
ballot → involve → question
The only reason Yourex was caught and prosecuted was that she reported herself (and her dog).
asserted
she → catch → herself
Apparently, it isn’t just dead people getting ballots; it’s dead dogs too.
asserted
it → get → ballots
California’s election system didn’t identify the fraud before the first ballot counted, and the county registrar continued generating ballots years later.
asserted
registrar → identify → ballots
The Orange County DA initially charged Yourex with five felonies, but she pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor after prosecutors dismissed four felony charges and reduced the fifth.
asserted
prosecutors → charge → fifth
Her punishment was a $1,500 payment to run four billboards featuring her dog, Maya Jean, and declaring that voter fraud is a crime.
asserted
fraud → run → dog
Raising public awareness is one thing.
asserted
Raising → raise → awareness
This week, a federal judge in California blocked the Trump administration from enforcing laws preventing noncitizens from voting.
asserted
judge → block → noncitizens
US District Judge David Carter, a Bill Clinton appointee, said that the White House was trying to “threaten an ongoing election” by enforcing federal law.
asserted
House → say → law
Ironically, California law also bars noncitizens from voting.
asserted
law → bar → noncitizens
But California doesn’t bother to check the citizenship of people who register to vote.
asserted
who → bother → people
It just takes them at their word.
asserted
It → take → word
And according to Judge Carter, that’s California’s own business under the US Constitution.
uncertain
that → accord → Constitution
Luckily, California voters can do something about this absurd situation.
asserted
voters → do → situation
They can vote for Proposition 39, the Voter ID initiative.
asserted
They → vote → Proposition
Prop 39 would require voters to present a government ID when voting in person, or to choose a unique four-digit PIN if voting by mail.
asserted
Prop → require → mail
It would also require the state to verify citizenship when voters register.
asserted
voters → require → citizenship
And no, dog tags and American Kennel Club certificates wouldn’t count as government-issued identification.
asserted
tags → count → identification
Right now, California law actually bars the use of ID when voting in person.
asserted
law → bar → person
And for mail-in ballots, the only verification California uses is matching the signature on the envelope to the signatures in the voter’s registration record.
asserted
California → mail → record
But matching a signature doesn’t necessarily mean the original registration was valid.
asserted
registration → match → signature
Prop. 39 would require election officials to make “best efforts” to verify the citizenship of people on the voter registration list using government records.
asserted
. → require → records
It would also require California to provide free state-issued voter ID cards upon request.
asserted
It → require → request
To ensure compliance, Prop. 39 would require regular audits of election officials’ adherence to those rules.
asserted
. → ensure → rules
No safeguard guarantees every attempt at fraud is caught.
asserted
attempt → guarantee → fraud
But the contrast between Maya Jean’s two ballots demonstrates that additional verification can make a difference.
asserted
verification → demonstrate → difference
In the movie “101 Dalmatians,” dogs across the countryside used the Twilight Bark to spread the word about missing puppies.
asserted
dogs → use → puppies
Now, Maya Jean’s story should travel across California to tell voters there is something they can do to protect public trust in democracy: Vote for Proposition 39.
asserted
they → travel → Proposition
The Aporia
