Confusing Ballot a Big Loser With Voters : Polling sites: Citizens react with frustration and anger as they wade through the propositions. Some just vote against all tax increases.

The results are in, and most San Fernando Valley voters feel like they were the losers in Tuesday’s general election.

At polling places from Chatsworth to Burbank to San Fernando, voters were casting ballots in frustration, confusion and anger as they waded through the hype and doublespeak that flowed from the various campaigns.

Asked to decide 28 statewide propositions and nine state races--not to mention a slew of local initiatives and offices--voters in several Valley precincts said they felt overwhelmed by Tuesday’s ballot. Many voters said the ballot included few real choices and was evidence that the political system is ineffective and out of control.

Although the pollsters had predicted a voter turnout as low as 40%, precinct workers said balloting was brisk at some polling places, where people lined up if for no other reason than to express their displeasure with incumbents, initiatives or whatever.

“I feel as though I’ve been through a long ordeal,” Sherman Oaks resident Sylvia Russell said after casting her ballot at Sherman Oaks United Methodist Church.

Russell was not alone. Deciphering the jargon of official campaign literature left many voters wondering which end was up and who was telling the truth.

“You don’t know who the hell is lying,” Canoga Park resident Don Halen said. “I mean, they’re all lying, but who’s the biggest liar? I don’t trust them, man.”

Canoga Park resident Joan Elder, a teacher at Mulholland Junior High School, said she read the official ballot book six times and still did not understand exactly what several initiatives promised to do.

Many said they pieced together a personal slate gleaned from newspaper endorsements, reading campaign literature, talking to friends and following the recommendations of their political party. Some followed their gut instincts. Clutching their wallets, others opted to “just say no,” and reject any initiative that included the words “increased taxes” or “bond issue.”

Despite the griping, Tuesday’s balloting still held the promise of a gilded future for some.

Shelly Baer, a 19-year-old Reseda resident who aspires someday to be addressed as President Baer, voted for the first time. It was exciting, she said. After two hours of careful study, Baer said, she made her choices, marked them on her sample ballot and punched them faithfully on the computer card at Joaquin Miller High School.