Teen registers people to vote as they wait in line at Popeyes

A North Carolina teen has been putting the hype surrounding Popeyes’ new chicken sandwich to good use.

Posting up outside a Charlotte location on Saturday, 17-year-old David Ledbetter handed out sample ballots and voter registration forms to people waiting in line for the viral menu item.

He posted photos showing his efforts on Instagram.

“Today we were registering individuals to vote while they were waiting in line to try the @popeyeslouisianakitchen chicken sandwich,” wrote Ledbetter. “Make sure you’re registered to vote!”

The teen spoke to a number of television stations about the idea on Monday, which grew from conversations he had with local attorney Stephanie Sneed, who is running for school board.

“I decided to register people to vote after I saw there was a lack of young people politically involved,” Ledbetter told WCNC.

“We had been talking about the great chicken sandwich debate,” Sneed said, speaking to CNN. “We came up with the idea to go to Popeyes because of the large number of people waiting in line.”

Ledbetter managed to get 16 people registered on Saturday, according to reports.

“I believe that it is our duty to vote as American citizens and it would be wrong not to exercise our political voice,” he said.

Praising the teen, Sneed told CNN: “Because he’s young, he has a new perspective on candidates engaging with young people. He’s already engaged and it’s in his makeup.”

Ledbetter added, “I like engaging with the community and I have aspirations with helping people and making society a better as a whole.”