Lake Wylie produce stand customers pick Trump to win; Clinton “doesn’t have a chance”

You know it’s a strange election when the leading third party candidate inside the ballot box is alive.

“A stinkbug got its way into the voting booth,” said Tim Reid, brushing away the first of about a half dozen critters he figures found refuge from the cold in his farm stand box.

Reid’s South Forty Farms is closed for the season now. Before it did, Reid set up a box and asked customers to cast their pick in the presidential race. Just days before the actual election featuring main challengers Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, Reid unlocked the box for a second and final time.

“I thought after the debates, it would change more for Clinton,” Reid said mid-count.

Until the first debate, Trump had 137 votes to 49 for Clinton at South Forty on S.C. 274. Women chose Trump 70 to 36. There were 24 votes for anyone other than Trump and Clinton.

It didn’t take long during the final count to see a similar theme.

“If this is anything like what it is in the rest of South Carolina, she doesn’t have a chance,” Reid said.

Trump added another 83 votes since the first election. Clinton added 21. There were seven more, ranging from Jeb Bush to Harambe.

All together, Trump scored more than 68 percent of the 321 total votes. Clinton gathered almost 22 percent. Third-party votes made up the last 10 percent.

Trump received 68 percent of the female voted compared to 32 percent for Clinton. Male voters went with Trump at an 85 percent clip.

Voters ranged from less than one year old to preteens, 30- and 40-year-olds to several octogenarians. A Navy veteran, Reid said all he hoped to capture with the mock election was the pulse of his community. He wanted to get people geared up for voting when it counts, on Nov. 8.

The high turnout got him thinking, maybe his farm stand would be a good polling place for more pretend elections in the future.

“If I’m still alive, we’ll do it at the next election,” Reid said.

Maybe he will set up more boxes, maybe ask about term limits or other hot button issues he thinks customers might take to deciding. Reid sees voting as one or the more powerful actions people have. As he looks at the country, from either side of the aisle, he’d like to see more people take action to make it the best it can be.

“I’m not worried about me,” Reid said. “I’m 76 years old. I probably won’t live but another 10 or 15 years. It’s my kinds and grandkids I’m worried about.”

To cast a vote that will count in the presidential and other races, voters should head to their local polling places Nov. 8. Individual information on where to vote is available at scvotes.org.

This story was originally published November 4, 2016 at 4:30 PM with the headline "Lake Wylie produce stand customers pick Trump to win; Clinton “doesn’t have a chance”."