The 21-member bipartisan National Commission on Federal Election Reform -- headed by former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford -- made a series of recommendations in a 100-page report issued July 31.

A project of the University of Virginia's Miller Center of Public Affairs, the panel was formed in the aftermath of last year's presidential election dispute in Florida. It conducted four hearings throughout the country, listened to dozens of witnesses and consulted with state and local officials.

President Bush, accepting the report in a White House ceremony, said he recommended the key principles drawn from it as guidelines for meaningful reform.

"First, our nation must continue to respect the primary role of state, county and local governments in elections," Bush said. He added that the federal government could have "a limited but responsible role in assisting states and localities" with voting technology.

The president added, "We must actively and vigorously enforce that laws that protect the voting rights of ethnic and racial minorities, of citizens who do not speak English fluently, and of the elderly and persons with disabilities."

Finally, he said, "We must act to uphold the voting rights of members of the armed services and of Americans living abroad."

Bush declined, however, to accept each specific recommendation, saying instead that Congress should listen to them and follow their lead.

Saying that Congress now has a "framework from which to work from," Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert added that the commission "took a serious look at our election laws and found ways to improve them."

Among the commission's recommendations are a call for Congress to enact legislation to make election day a national holiday, for news organizations not to project any presidential election results in any state as long as the polls remain open in other states, and for the federal government to develop a comprehensive set of voting-equipment standards for the benefit of state and local election administration.

The report opposes ending the use of punch card ballots, the voting system that sparked much of the controversy in Florida. If jurisdictions use optical scan machines in their place, the report said, this would be disadvantageous to blind and disabled voters.