Letter to the American people -- Preface to the report -- Summary of principal recommendations -- 1. The goals of federal election reform -- II. The federal government and the federal election system -- III. A democratic process that maintains an accurate list of citizens who are qualified to vote -- IV. A democratic process that encourages every eligible voter to participate effectively -- V. A democratic process that uses equipment that reliably clarifies and registers the voter's choices -- VI. A democratic process that handles close elections in a forseeable and fair way -- VII. A democratic process that reflects limited but responsible federal participation -- Endnotes to the report -- Additional statements -- Organization -- Appendix A. Contributors to the Commission's work -- Appendix B. The Michigan Qualified Voter File : a brief introduction. Task Force on the Federal Election System. Preface -- Sizing up the problem -- Voter registration -- Statewide voter registration systems -- Civic education programs -- Early voting, unrestricted absentee voting, and voting by mail -- Verification of identity -- Provisional balloting -- Disenfranchisement of felons -- Uniform poll closing and reporting Task Force on Constitutional and Federal Election Law. Preface -- Federal regulation of elections -- What counts as a vote? -- Recounts and contests -- Congressional authority to regulate when votes can be counted.