Butler County voters flocked to the polls Tuesday and generally encountered few problems with the new electronic voting machines, according to election officials.

But the election was not without some controversy, as county Democrats challenged the election board's decision to delay counting absentee ballots until later today.

Democrats also went to court when they learned that candidate signs had been removed from a Center Township polling site.

More than 54 percent of the county's 113,022 voters cast ballots in Tuesday's mid-term election; however, that percentage promised to grow once the nearly 2,600 absentee ballots were tabulated by noon today.

"Iwas pleased with the turnout,"said Regis Young, director of the county's bureau of elections. "I traveled around and noticed a good showing wherever I went."

In all Tuesday, 61,675 ballots were cast.

"I'm never unhappy when turnout is up over 50 percent,"said F. Arthur Rauschenberger III, chairman of the Butler County Republican Committee.

While the county's Republican stronghold boosted GOPcandidates for U.S. Senate, governor, Congress and state Legislature, the Democrats carried the day statewide — not to mention nationwide.

David Mariotti, the county's Democratic chairman, could not hold his elation over the results, which included the takeover of the U.S. House of Representatives and possibly the Senate.

Democrats also narrowed the GOPadvantage in the state House, and they still held out hope of picking up a seat or two in the state Senate once all votes were counted.

"It's a great day to be a Democrat,"he proclaimed.

"What we saw (Tuesday) was a mandate,"he said. "The election was a referendum on the Bush administration's failed policies."

He was particularly giddy with Bob Casey Jr.'s impressive victory over Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, Gov. Ed Rendell's re-election landslide over GOPchallenger Lynn Swann and Jason Altmire's stunning victory against Republican U.S. Rep. Melissa Hart.

"The voters spoke up,"Mariotti said. "They said they've had enough of the Republicans. They said they want a new direction."

Even Rauschenberger conceded the outcome was an anti-incumbent, anti-Iraq war landslide, of sorts.

"I'm guessing the No. 1 issue was the war,"he said. "Even here, I wonder if the people are starting not to like the war."

Santorum, who has steadfastly backed President Bush's military action in Iraq, carried Butler County, but not by the kind of margin Rauschenberger expected.

Pennsylvania's junior senator received 32,815 votes, or 55 percent; Casey collected 26,650 votes.

Swann, a Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Famer and a first-time candidate, actually got significantly more Butler County votes than Santorum.

Unofficial results showed Swann with 37,064 ballots; Rendell garnered 23,886 votes in the county.

"Casey did great in Butler County," Mariotti said. "And Rendell ended with little higher vote total in Butler than last time."

Rendell in 2002 received 18,146 votes in Butler County.

Young remained a neutral observer over the election outcome; however, he credited Democrat and Republican officials for turning out the vote.

"Both parties worked their butts off to get the voters out," he said.

Only scattered problems with the touch-screen voting machines were reported. Young blamed some of the complaints on voters' unfamiliarity with the new high-tech system, and not on the machines themselves.

Young noted only one machine, that in Cherry Township, malfunctioned and remained shut down after 12 votes were cast. Those votes were to be pulled and recorded later today.

Election workers had trouble getting seven machines in the Butler Township 1-2 precinct at the Sunnyview Home to start when polls opened at 7 a.m.

As many as 15 early voters were allowed to cast their votes by emergency paper ballots.

"By 7:15 a.m.,"Young reported, "all the machines were up."

He said feedback from the voters of the machines was positive: "They were very happy; very pleased."

Rauschenberger, who served as a poll watcher in the Center Township 2 precinct at the Trinity Lutheran Church, gave the machines a thumbs up.

"I was satisfied,"he said. "I watched the voters leaving and I saw in their faces, like they were thinking, 'Hey, this is pretty cool.'"

But Mariotti is not sold on the new touch screens.

"Overall, I can't say they worked well. I still say we need a paper trail." he said. "We're going to have to sit down with our people to analyze it. We're all pretty green at these machines."

Meanwhile, the election was marked by a pair of emergency court challenges initiated by Democratic officials.

Butler County Judge Tim McCune threw out one challenge about 10 p.m. when he ruled the county's board of election could wait until today to count absentee ballots.

Democrats wanted the absentees counted with the other votes Tuesday.

Young, however, opted to wait a day to ensure a thorough examination of the absentees since several of the ballots sent out earlier to military members overseas contained the name of Green Party candidate Carl Romanelli for U.S. Senate.

The state Supreme Court on Oct. 4 affirmed a Commonwealth Court ruling to remove Romanelli's name from the ballot, but not in time to avoid delaying the printing schedules for ballots all over the state.

Earlier Tuesday, Butler County Judge William Shaffer sided with a Democrat challenge that objected to the removal of campaign signs of Democratic and Republican candidates posted at the Trinity Lutheran Church polling place.

Young said the pastor did not want the seven or eight political signs on church property. The judge of election at the polling place agreed to take down the placards.

But Democrats argued the signs amounted to "free speech"and should be allowed to remain, Mariotti said.

Shaffer about 4 p.m. ordered the signs could stay.

"He ruled that since it is a polling place contracted by the bureau of elections,"Young said, "it's our building for the day and the signs should be allowed."

The signs were immediately posted again.