SARASOTA COUNTY -- Raymond Politowicz voted for Vern Buchanan. Kate Lowman voted for Christine Jennings.

But a day after the election, the Sarasota residents shared at least one political belief: The county's voting process is deeply flawed.

More than 120 voters called or e-mailed the Herald-Tribune, reporting problems with the county's touch-screen voting machines. Almost all of the complaints stemmed from the congressional race between Buchanan and Jennings.

Reporters interviewed three dozen of the frustrated voters, most of whom said they either missed the candidates on the ballot or that their votes did not register at first.

At his polling place, a 12th Street church in Sarasota, Politowicz pushed the touch-screen button for the Republican candidate.

The machine highlighted the name, and the registered independent continued through the races and issues.

But at the final review screen, it showed he hadn't voted for either candidate. A poll worker said he hadn't pressed the screen hard enough.

He went back and registered the vote, but was unsatisfied.

"I hate this stuff; it should be paper ballots, period," he said. "I know there's hanky-panky."

Across town at a church on Wood Street, Lowman, a Democrat, touched the screen for Jennings.

"It turned into the blue highlight around her name," she said. "But when I got to the review screen it indicated I had not voted in the Jennings-Buchanan race."

The next day, she said, she read about the 368-vote margin and that nearly 17,000 people appeared to have not voted for either candidate.

"Do I trust this picture? No way," she said.

Voters reported similar stories from 24 precincts, from Longboat Key to east of Interstate 75, and from the opening day of early voting until just before polls closed.

More than half told stories like those of Politowicz and Lowman, with votes cast that did not register at first. Almost as many reported that they missed the candidates completely, until the review screen pointed out the error.

Belle Heneberger went to the polls specifically to vote for Jennings. Yet when she reviewed her ballot, it showed she had not endorsed anyone in the congressional race.

"I was completely astonished," she said. "It's not an election I wouldn't have voted on."

She went back and cast her vote, blaming herself for the mistake until she heard news accounts of voting problems.

Debbie Woods, a Republican, said poll workers warned her that the congressional race was hard to find.

Buchanan and Jennings appeared atop the second screen, with a big gap between their names and another larger batch of candidates that caught her eye.

"I could see how people could not see that," she said. "I just thought it was strange that I was told about it and the person next to me wasn't told about it. You just start to get suspicious; you just wonder."

Voters interviewed ranged in age from 41 to 84, but most were mid-60s or older.

Many older voters blamed themselves, not a computer error, for missing the congressional race. After they chatted with their spouses or co-workers, they realized how widespread the problem was.

Helen Krate arrived at the Gulf Gate Library with a sample ballot in hand. She had marked the sample to help her through the process.

Once she reached the final screen to review whom she voted for, Krate noticed she had not cast a ballot in the congressional or state House District 70 races.

"I was a little surprised. I'm 83 years old; maybe I forgot something."

Krate said she went back and cast her vote for Jennings and Shapiro.

After the news of voting problems arose, she realized it may have been the machine and not her mistake.
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Staff writers Mike Saewitz and Latisha Gray contributed to this report.

{mos_sb_discuss:8}	Political Scandal
{mos_sb_discuss:13}	Life in Paradise or not