In Denver on Election Day, electronic poll books caused headaches all day. In Utah, a mix-up with databases left voters without operating voting machines in one county for 90 minutes.

But it could have been worse.

While there were plenty of problems earlier this month when voters went to the polls, the dire predictions of machine pandemonium didn't pan out, according to a report released Wednesday by the nonpartisan Electionline.org, which tracks election news.

"In the weeks leading up to the 2006 vote, analysts often threw around words like 'chaos,' 'meltdown' and 'catastrophe,' " the briefing says. "However, after Election Day, reports used terms including 'glitch,' 'snafu,' 'hiccup' and 'headache.' "

Utah Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert was at the unveiling of the Electionline report, invited to speak about state election officials' work with the Brigham Young University Center for the Study of Democracy and Elections. The center has done exit surveys in conjunction with the state to determine voters' feelings about their experiences.

Herbert repeated his pronouncement of Utah's handling of the midterm elections, saying that he would give the state a B-plus for its work rolling out new electronic voting machines statewide.

"I'm trying to be humble about it," Herbert said after the panel discussion. "I actually think we were in the A-minus range."

Some Utah County voters may disagree with that assessment. All but six polling stations in that county had inoperable voting machines for 90 minutes after opening on Election Day. The problem was fixed, but some voters were unable to cast ballots. A judge rejected a lawsuit filed that day attempting to keep polls open after the regular closing time.

Herbert said the "little glitch" was unfortunate but is a learning experience for poll workers and state officials.

Other states had their own problems on Election Day. In Sarasota, Fla., the election to replace Rep. Katherine Harris was a contested battle, yet 18,000 voters in the district, according to the results, didn't cast a vote in that race but voted for every other race.

A judge in Indiana held polling places open after regular hours because of problems with new identification protocols, and the polls stayed open later in Pennsylvania after some machines failed. One voter smashed an electronic machine with a paperweight, according to the Electionline.org report.

Overall, it classified election problems in three categories: human error, machine error and unknown. The main source of difficulties seemed to come from mistakes by election officials but some machines also didn't function as intended. And as in Florida, some problems haven't been explained.

Herbert said that because of the extra training poll workers received in Utah, the state's elections went off well.

"We did a darn good job," Herbert said. "Compared to other states, from what I've seen, I think we stacked up well."

tburr@sltrib.com