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Southern California Man Charged with Felony for Submitting Voter Registrations for Animated Cats


The defendant argues that registering fictitious cats ought to be permissible under the state’s voter registration regulations.

A man from Ventura County, who has previously run for political office, is now facing four felony counts of perjury for reportedly submitting voter registration applications for non-existent cats, as announced by Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko on December 4.

Bruce Boyer, 63, who failed to secure the position of county sheriff in 2018 and county clerk in 2022, as well as a congressional seat in March, is accused of filing four voter registration forms for cartoon cats with the county clerk’s office.

Each registration listed Boyer’s home address and was signed under the threat of perjury, according to Nasarenko.

“Our office is dedicated to ensuring that every vote is legitimate and that individuals who jeopardize the integrity of our electoral process are held accountable,” Nasarenko stated in a press release on Wednesday.

The Ventura County Clerk-Recorder and Registrar of Voters Office identified the voter registration forms and flagged them as suspicious, according to county officials.

Boyer appeared in court for the first time on Wednesday, and his arraignment has been postponed to January 17. He was released on his own recognizance, despite Nasarenko’s request to set bail at $100,000.

According to court documents filed on November 22, prosecutors assert that Boyer submitted the fraudulent registrations on September 27, September 30, October 21, and October 25.

Boyer claimed on Thursday that the fake registrations should have been authorized according to California’s voter registration system.

Earlier this year, Boyer registered Felix T. Cat through the state’s voter registration portal after being told by a neighbor that they had successfully registered their cat to vote.

“I said OK, let me see, so I went online and registered Felix T. Cat,” he explained to The Epoch Times on December 5.

Boyer provided the cat with a birthdate of January 1, 1982, claimed it was a member of the American Feline Party, and stated it spoke English. He stated no identification or Social Security number was necessary, and he used his neighbor’s address for the cat.

His neighbor received a reply letter from the state requesting Felix T. Cat’s signature to validate the registration.

(L–R) Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko, Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff, and Thousand Oaks Chief of Police Jeremy Paris answer questions during a news conference in Thousand Oaks, Calif., on Nov. 17, 2023. (Juan Carlo/The Ventura County Star via AP)

(L–R) Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko, Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff, and Thousand Oaks Chief of Police Jeremy Paris address questions during a press conference in Thousand Oaks, California, on November 17, 2023. Juan Carlo/The Ventura County Star via AP

Though he didn’t sign the registration, it led him to question the legitimacy of the voting system, Boyer stated.

“If you can register a cartoon character to vote, then the entire system is a fraud,” Boyer remarked.

As per the bail request submitted by Nasarenko on December 2, the district attorney alleges that Boyer mailed four fraudulent voter registration applications in the names of Cool T. Cat, Estrea D. Tigre, Fritz T. Cat, and Sylvester T. Cat.

“All of the handwriting on the fictitious cat voter registration forms appeared to be consistent with Boyer’s handwriting on his candidacy forms for sheriff and clerk recorder and registrar of voters,” the district attorney stated. “Moreover, Boyer included his home address on each of the cat voter registration applications.”

On January 23, Boyer spoke at a Ventura County Board of Supervisors meeting regarding his concerns about the state and county’s voter registration system and mentioned his attempt to register Felix T. Cat with the state.

“In Boyer’s speech, it seems he was emphasizing that it was easy to commit voter fraud in Ventura County,” Nasarenko indicated in the court request. “… It appears Boyer is scrutinizing the voter registration process and attempting to register fictitious cats to vote.”

According to the district attorney, Boyer was arrested on September 19 for a disturbance at an unrelated assembly and has faced several arrests since 2004.

Boyer, who intends to run for Congress again in 2026, claims the registrations should have been accepted according to the county’s voter laws.

“The clerk is violating the law if they refuse to register them to vote,” he stated.

District attorney spokesperson Joey Buttitta confirmed that the registrations were intercepted before any actions could be taken.

“They were caught by the county clerk-recorder’s office and were never actually registered,” Buttitta informed The Epoch Times via email.



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