On Tuesday, June 26, 2001, the Smackdown Your Vote! Coalition will announce plans to step up its youth voter registration efforts in New York City and at WWE live events through November.

Linda E. McMahon, CEO of WWE Entertainment, is issuing an open invitation to New York City political candidates to attend a Smackdown Your Vote! rally Tuesday at noon at WWE New York in Times Square. She'll be joined by WWE Superstars Kurt Angle, Ivory and Albert; and Naomi Bernstein, director of public affairs for the New York City Board of Elections.

The event is also open to the press and public. Voter registration will be conducted immediately following this event, and on Monday and Tuesday nights (June 25 & 26) prior to WWE shows at Madison Square Garden.

Smackdown Your Vote! is a nonpartisan initiative of the National Association of Secretaries of State, the National Foundation for Women Legislators, the Youth Vote Coalition, Youth-e-Vote, Project Vote Smart and WWE. More than 150,000 young voters were registered in a little more than two months during the 2000 presidential campaign, as a result of this initiative. Since renewing the campaign last month, several hundred high school students have also been registered.

What: Press conference and rally

Where: WWE New York, Times Square, (43rd and Broadway)

When: Tuesday, June 26. Noon

Contact: Judd Everhart, WWE, 203 406-3620