Before a crowd of 250 juniors and seniors at Monticello High School, World Wrestling Entertainment star Chris Nowinski described his own intitation into the political process while candidly addressing questions from students in the audience.

Nowinski says he is a fan of third parties. He first became involved in presidential politics in support of Ralph Nader, where he and a trusted friend swapped votes.

Nowinski is also a great proponent of civil disobedience. 'Protest, protest, protest. Make your voices heard' was advice he offered to students, citing walkouts as a means of protest in public schools.

About the war with Iraq: I was against it from day one.

About gay marriage: Everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy equal rights. I don't see any difference between civil unions and marriage rites. [He supports gay marriage.]

About the news media: When you get down to politics you need to find other sources of information. I get all of my news from the Daily Show. I also like Ad Busters and read the Boston Globe and the New York Times.

About the presidential election: I will [probably] support Kerry.

After his talk, students at Monticello High School were encouraged to go to the cafeteria to register to vote. According to Linda Helf, 17 students registered. Added to an additional 77 students who had registered earlier in the year, 94 students at Monticello High School have registered to vote for the school year while 95 students at Albemarle High School and 116 students at Western Albemarle have also registered (electronic mail, May 21, 2004).

Chris Nowinski lifting Monticello High School student Jeri Kent, Charlottesville, Virginia, May 21, 2004 "It was great to see someone encourage us to vote who we could relate to. It's important that the younger voting population has a legitimate voice in political issues." (Jeri Kent, electronic mail, May 23, 2004)

Later in the afternoon, Nowinski made a trip to the Downtown Mall and Fridays after Five, where he tried out Charlottesville's voting machines and everyone seemed willing to get into the act.

Sixteen voters were registered at Fridays After Five (Sheri Iachetta, electronic mail, May 24, 2004)

According to Dave Sherer of ProWrestingInsider, Nowinski has been working on the [Smackdown Your Vote] campaign "while he recovers from the effects of post concussion syndrome" (Dave Scherer, Pro Wrestling News Inside and Out, May 22, 2004).

For more, see Harvard Graduate Wrestles Up Votes.