Vote Early, Vote Often?

I voted on Monday.  It was glorious.  It was transformative.  It was the very pinnacle of my existence…

Ohio is an early voting state, so you can go to your local Board of Elections and vote anytime in the month or so before Election Day. I walked to the courthouse, I stood in line, I displayed ID and proof of address, I pushed some buttons for democracy, I scored a “I Voted” sticker and I went on my merry way.

So imagine my confusion today when I opened my mailbox and found an absentee ballot I never asked for.  It looks legit, my address is right, both the mailing and return envelopes say ‘Official Election Mail’, and the Board of Elections address is, to my knowledge, accurate, but there’s just no damn reason for me to have an absentee ballot at all.  It’s postmarked Monday, which is the day I voted.

I’m trying to call the Wood County Board of Elections, but I keep getting busy signals, which doesn’t surprise me considering the volume of early voters this year.  Is it a clerical error?  Is someone trying to sabotage my vote, hoping I’ll be confused, fill it out, disqualify myself, and unwittingly perpetrate voter fraud?

Now I sound like a conspiracy theorist.  But I’m living in Ohio, a battleground state with a history of voting shenanigans.  Also, I live east of main street, in a student neighborhood that leans Obama, in a year with historic student and early voting turnout, both groups that trend democratic.  So maybe a little paranoia is called for.  Anyway, updates forthcoming, once I talk to the Board of Elections.

This is my first presidential election, and I am not going to let anyone disenfranchise me, damnit!