WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is creating a commission directed to help improve voting, a reaction to widespread complaints about lengthy waits, growing photo ID requirements and shortened early voting periods.

Obama in his State of the Union address said his commission would be non-partisan and said he would ask top lawyers for his re-election campaign and the campaign of 2012 rival Mitt Romney to lead the panel.

Obama said that when Americans choose not to vote because they can't wait hours to cast their ballot, "we are betraying our ideals"

Congress has also begun to look at voting, with Democrats and Republicans sparring over whether ID laws, attempts to purge voter rolls and restricted early voting were legitimate efforts to stop fraud or mainly Republican strategies to hold down Democratic votes.

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