It's National Voter Registration Day. Are you registered? Are your friends?

The Campaign Finance Institute has a new analysis on small donor fundraising by President Obama and Mitt Romney. Interesting stat: "the Obama campaign received more from unitemized donors who gave $200 or less during the month of August ($33.8 million -- $25.1 million to the campaign and another $8.7 million to the joint fundraising committee) as former Gov. Mitt Romney’s campaign raised directly from all donors ($26.9 million.)."

Are you following the Public Campaign Action Fund Tumblr? You should be--check out this great political cartoon from the New Yorker on super PACs that we got up yesterday.

And, hey, not everyone is making it harder to vote: "Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a package of bills designed to modernize California's election and campaign finance laws, including allowing voters to register on Election Day." Kudos to Common Cause California for their work on this.

Campaign Finance/Fair Elections
LA Times: Ben Cohen, of Ben & Jerry's, launches dollar-stamping campaign
Fun: "Cohen is heading up a campaign...which is urging people to stamp dollar bills with campaign finance reform messages like 'Money is not free speech' and 'Corporations are not people.'"

Politico: New York AG Schneiderman defends probe of tax-excempt groups
"Investigators in New York won’t be ending a probe into tax-exempt groups that have been raising hundreds of millions of dollars for political ads this year—no matter what Congress has to say."

WaPo: A voting issue that wasn't
Eugene Robinson's latest: "The problem in this country isn’t too many people voting, it’s too few. We should be making it easier for people to vote, not harder, and we shouldn’t be imposing requirements that have the same effect as a poll tax."

The Hill: Trade groups fear gift ban after the election
"Trade groups are concerned that the Obama administration might enact a rule after the election that would ban federal workers from attending lobbyist-sponsored events."

Congress/2012
NYT: Conservative "super PACs" synchronize their message
On GOP outside groups: "The result is a striking degree of symmetry. To see many of the anti-Obama ads that have run on television recently, it would be easy to conclude that they were made in the same studios, by the same producers working for the same campaign."

Sunlight: Outside campaign spending tops 2010 total
As of Sunday evening, outside spending hit $465 million, "more than the total for the entire 2010 campaign."

CBS News: Top super PAC donors giving multimillions in 2012
"Through August, more than 60 donors gave at least $1 million to super PACs, which are required to disclose their donors' names and amounts." Or, most of the money given to super PACs has come from big donors.

Columbus Dispatch: Complaint alleges Romney campaign inappropriately used miners
"A left-leaning political advocacy group has filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission alleging that the owner of Murray Energy Corp. made an illegal corporate contribution to Republican Mitt Romney's presidential campaign by forcing his employees to attend an Aug. 14 rally at the Century coal mine in Beallsville, Ohio." Vindicator.

WaPo: Romney's nightmare scenario
Ezra Klein on Romney's "nightmare" scenario: "If things don’t turn around for Romney soon, those super PACs may give up on the task of electing Romney as president and turn to the task of encircling Obama’s second term with a Republican House and a Republican Senate."

USA Today: Obama has edge in political merchandise
"The Obama campaign has bought four times as much gear to sell to supporters -- T-shirts, mugs, bumper stickers and the like -- as Republican rival Mitt Romney, according to a USA TODAY analysis of campaign-finance reports."

LA Times: Indian tribes, with more clout and money, find an ally in Obama
Intersting analysis of giving by Native American tribes: "The tribes have shown their gratitude, giving at least $2.5 million to Obama's reelection campaign through the end of July — far outstripping their donations in other recent presidential elections, according to data provided by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

CPI: Realtors spend big on California race
The National Association of Realtors is all in for Brad Sherman.

MJB Star: Jennifer Hudson and Jon Bon Jovi to Join Katy Perry at Obama Concert
"The notable musicians Jennifer Hudson and Jon Bon Jovi have been added to the performer lineup for Barack Obama’s upcoming fundraising charity show in New York concert."

Seattle Times: Michelle Obama to visit Seattle for fundraiser
"Michelle Obama will speak at a Seattle fundraiser for her husband's re-election campaign next month, according to a Democratic Party source."

NYT: Romney camp talks of dialing down fundraising
"But Mr. Romney’s grass-roots fund-raising is not nearly so robust as Mr. Obama’s. In order to match Mr. Obama dollar for dollar, as he intends to, Mr. Romney must therefore spend more time than the president at big donor events, at a time when challengers might traditionally spend more time on the road campaigning." Buzzfeed.

Politico: Romney camp plans three-day donor retreat around New York debate
Re: story above: "Mitt Romney's campaign has planned a string of activities for donors around the debates, including a three-day 'victory retreat' at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in Manhattan overlapping with the Oct. 16 debate at Hofstra University, according to a copy of the invitation obtained by POLITICO."

NaJo: House Majority PAC launching ads in four districts
"House Majority PAC is launching a quartet of new television ads Tuesday, expanding the Democratic super PAC's reach to two more districts in Arizona and returning to one each in Illinois and Virginia with follow-ups to previous ads." And, this: "The anti-Schilling spot accuses the freshman of combining coziness with special interests and support for outsourcing tax breaks."

Politico: Trump's very secret donations
When Donald Trump has said he has donated millions to super PACs to help elect Romney, he is either confusing super PACs with c4 or he's lying. You be the judge.

Politico: Lobbyists boost Romney coffers
"Former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) and College Republicans National Committee Chairman Alex Schriver will host a private Tuesday night fundraiser at Patton Boggs’s Washington, D.C., headquarters."

Ralston Report: Romney raised $2 million at Las Vegas event
"Three sources have now confirmed that Mitt Romney raised $2 million at his Red Rock Resort fundraiser Friday in Las Vegas."

Miami Herald: From a shooting to shoplifting, David Rivera's pal in FBI probe has checkered past
I told you yesterday--a soap opera!

Reuters: Billionaire Adelson sets new political donation record
"U.S. billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson has set a new record in political donations by giving $70 million to help Republicans in the 2012 elections, nearly triple the previous highest amount, according to news outlet Politico on Monday."

Deadline: Romney eyes Hollywood return after successful weekend fundraiser
"After pulling in $6 million in a fundraiser Saturday at the Beverly Hilton, the GOP candidate could be back in town soon"

Observer: Privately, Democrats extremely suspicious of Grimm's vandalism story
Some Democrats aren't buying the odd Grimm office break in: "The whole thing seems bizarre to a lot people. Why would someone sneak into a campaign HQ and erase stuff while tipping them off you were there. It doesn’t make any sense.”

Daily News: Top fundraiser for Grimm to ask judge to spring him
And speaking of Grimm: "A former top fundraiser for Staten Island Congressman Michael Grimm who has been jailed since his arrest last month on visa-fraud charges will ask a judge Friday to release him."

Businessweek: Aflac and Chubb join ranks of companies expanding disclosure
"Aflac Inc. (AFL) and Chubb Corp. (CB) are among a growing number of companies revealing their corporate contributions, some of which may go to nonprofits and trade associations spending millions of dollars on U.S. elections without disclosing their donors. A study out today found 45 of 88 companies providing information about corporate donations, up from 36 a year earlier."

MPR: Wealthy outside groups find a home in Minnesota
"Americans for Prosperity is just one of at least 11 organizations that are pouring cash into Minnesota's elections, from the state Legislature to the top of the ticket. An MPR News analysis estimates that such groups have committed to spend at least $6 million in Minnesota, a massive figure that echoes a national trend as super PACs and non-profits raise and spend larger amounts on political races."

Politico: Former Americans Elect chief may head to Rhee's StudentsFirst
Some folks on this list may be interested: "The former CEO of Americans Elect may be the next president of the national education reform group founded by onetime Washington D.C. schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee."

Other/States
CPI: National unions, Chamber of Commerce face off in Michigan
Something to watch: "Michigan locals and their national leaders now face an ad campaign by the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and its friends, urging voters to resist 'D.C. union bosses.' Unions, however, have far outraised their detractors, bringing in a quarter of the $30 million total raised for the state’s six ballot initiatives, according to the Michigan Campaign Finance Network." More at Sunlight on outside groups at the state level.

Patch: Jumanne Williams moves to create public campaign financing
"Councilman Jumaane Williams, D-Ditmas Park, introduced a resolution at the New York City Council's stated meeting Mon., Sept. 24, to provide optional public campaign financing for statewide offices, state legislative offices and constitutional convention delegates."

Charleston Gazette: Election panel may litigate public campaign financing
"Although the state Supreme Court ruled against them earlier this month, members of the state Elections Commission will meet Tuesday to discuss litigation seeking to uphold the state's Supreme Court public campaign financing pilot project."

WaPo: Michael Brown's former treasurer was instructed to take money from campaign account, lawyer says
"D.C. Council member Michael A. Brown’s former campaign treasurer took money from Brown’s campaign account, but he was authorized to do it and was told by Brown to hide it, the treasurer’s attorney said Monday."