protest vote
noun
a ballot cast for a candidate with a minimal chance of winning, to register dislike for the other candidates.
Origin of protest vote
1First recorded in 1970–75
Words Nearby protest vote
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use protest vote in a sentence
Traduce him, delegitimize him—and slow economic recovery in hopes that voters will cast a protest vote for the GOP.
The Obama Scandals Are Desperate Measures by the GOP | Robert Shrum | May 17, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTBoehner won with 220 votes, although there were eight defectors and four abstentions—a small, but unmistakable protest vote.
John Boehner Keeps the Speakership for Two More Years | Howard Kurtz | January 3, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTSuch a move, while unlikely to succeed, could produce an embarrassing protest vote.
Why Rupert Murdoch Surrendered Top Newspaper Posts in His Global Media Company | Howard Kurtz | July 21, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTThe system's side effect is to invite the French to use their first ballot as a protest vote.
There are a lot of angry voters out there who may want to register a protest vote in 2012.
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