The Commission on Federal Election Reform was a private, bipartisan organization founded in 2004 by former US President Jimmy Carter and James A. Baker, III, a top official under presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, to overcome the flaws brought to light by the electoral uncertainty in Florida in the 2000 United States presidential election and in Ohio in the 2004 election. The commission continued work begun by Carter and former President Ford in a previous commission that studied unusual features of the 2000 presidential race. Its mandate was to examine the electoral process in the United States, bringing together leaders from the major political parties, academia, and non-partisan civic groups to explore how to maximize both ballot access and ballot integrity.