I fetched my e-mails yesterday morning and my computer nearly exploded. Saturday's column on the voting error in Sutton caused a stir. Ron Paul voters criticized me for casting Jennifer Call, Sutton's town clerk, in a sympathetic light.

Most merely made their point, without going over the edge, stating that the system that counts votes needs improvement.

Some were a bit snooty. Some said it was unfair to lump all Paul supporters into the same zany pool.

Still others, a minority who were obviously non-Paul supporters, cheered me on, saying they've experienced the passionate, boisterous world of Paul's army and believed the column defending Call was justified.

Call is the face, name and phone number of an error that occurred last Tuesday night, primary night.

Sutton Moderator Greg Hill had Paul's vote total, 31, on his return sheet. But the number on Call's sheet remained blank, lost somewhere between the transfer, done vocally, to Call.

She then phoned the results to the media, and the record stated that Paul had received zero votes. Just like "fringe" candidates Alan Keyes, Daniel Gilbert and Albert Howard.

Only when a citizen walked into the Sutton town hall the next morning and said he'd voted for Paul did the error surface. Town officials notified the secretary of state's office before lunch, and the 31 votes were documented.

Call soon received dozens of e-mails and phone calls, both at work and at home, demanding an explanation. Some, she said, were civil, merely seeking information.

Others, though, were mean-spirited, labeling Call as treasonous. They accused her of committing fraud. They wanted her locked up. They smelled a

conspiracy, a plot to keep their candidate down. They misidentified themselves, saying they were from the media. They would not listen to reason, Call said, that an honest mistake, while worth noting, had taken place, and nothing more.

One person said Call should be shot.

And a column was born.

Here are a few samples of what I read while the snow swirled yesterday morning. Some of the grammar, spelling and typos have been cleaned up.

• "Maybe next time she will look into why the slot next to Paul's name on the original return sheet said 31, but a space on Call's return, next to Paul's name, remained blank. She was assuming that it was 0, and that's why she gets flak. . . . She needs to be more diligent in accurately reporting the vote count."

Single page