Protest vote
From Ballotpedia
A protest vote is defined as "a ballot cast for a candidate with a minimal chance of winning, to register dislike for the other candidates."[1][2]
Several way to cast a protest votes
A protest vote can be formulated in several ways:[2]
- A voter could vote for a minority or third party candidate that has a minimal chance of winning the election.
- A voter could submit a blank ballot paper without choosing a candidate on the ballot.
- A voter could "spoil" the ballot, which means a vote is considered invalid and is not included in the final vote count.
- A voter could choose a "None of the Above," or "Blank vote" option, if one exists on the ballot.
In addition, sometimes, a voter may even use uncommon, and often illegal, methods to show their displeasure. For example, a voter could include ripping the ballot apart, asking other people to vote for them, sell their vote (putting the vote on an auction site) or even eating the ballot.[3][4][5][6]
See also
External links
- Time, "Education: Protest Vote"
- New York Times, "The Power of the Protest Vote"
- The Atlantic, "The Case Against Protest Voting (Remember Ralph Nader)"
- Voters For None of the Above
- NYU.edu, "A Theory of Protest Voting" by David P. Myatt
- Journal of Theoretical Politics, "Protest Voting and Abstention Under Plurality Rule Elections: An Alternative Public Choice Approach" by Won-Taek Kang
- Springer.com, "Protest Voting in Plurality Elections: A Theory of Voter Signaling" by Daniel Kselman
Footnotes
- ↑ Dictionary.com, "Protest vote," accessed May 1, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Duke.edu, "Protest voting in plurality elections: a theory of voter signaling," accessed May 1, 2014
- ↑ Edible Ballot, "The Goal: Destroying your Ballot," accessed May 1, 2014
- ↑ The Nation, "Academic rips up ballot paper," accessed May 1, 2014
- ↑ Vote Blank, "Blank Votes Count," accessed May 1, 2014
- ↑ National Review, " ‘None of the Above’ Should Be on the Ballot," accessed May 1, 2014