For the last week our newsfeeds have been inundated with buzz about Popeyes new chicken sandwich and the long lines of customers anxious for the opportunity to try one. However, for 17-year-old David Ledbetter, the large crowd was an opportunity to register people to vote.
“All week I’ve been seeing people waiting in line for the Popeyes chicken sandwich. So we thought that we should register people to vote while they waited,” Ledbetter told Because of Them We Can.
The high school senior said that his interest in getting others politically involved started a while ago after being one of few young people in attendance at a caucus meeting.
“I once attended a caucus meeting in Charlotte and I noticed the lack of young people present. I wanted to start an initiative to allow more youth to become politically involved so I thought registering people to vote and handing out information on voting would be the best way to engage,” he said.
Ledbetter was happy to find that majority of the people he encountered in line were already registered to vote.
“We managed to register 16 individuals due to the fact that most were already registered,” he said.
Ledbetter turns 18 next March and is looking forward to casting his vote during elections next November. Until then, he plans to return to Popeyes and other heavily populated areas to make sure other young people his age and beyond are informed and registered.
Way to go David!