The report of the Carter Baker Commission has been released. We would note three things about its findings.

• First, the report supports the concept of nonpartisan election administration; we issued a report this summer on the public’s attitudes toward election administration.

• Second, the report endorses the idea contained in our IBM Business of Government report on the need for interoperability in voting systems and voter registration systems.

• Third, the report is likely to generate much controversy on the issue of voter identification. Three members of the commission called the ID requirement”modern day poll tax” (as noted in the Washington Post). We have discussed the issue of IDs before, and it is a complex issue both politically and administratively.

Given the reaction of groups like the League of Women Voters to the report, it does not seem likely that the report will garner much traction.