A Protest vote is a vote cast in an election to demonstrate the caster's unhappiness with the choice of candidates or the current political system. It can be formulated in several ways:

• Voting for a minority or fringe candidate which has no chance of election. See below
• Posting a blank ballot paper.
• Spoiling the ballot paper.
• Selecting a "None of the Above" option, if one exists.

Some people see refusing to turn out to vote at all as a protest vote, especially in places, like Australia, which have compulsory voting, where not voting is an act of civil disobedience.

Voting for a fringe candidate can result in election/endorsement of people whom the general population would rather not see in that position. e.g. Jean-Marie Le Pen in French presidential election, 2002.

See also

• List of democracy and elections-related topics