A
protest vote (also known as a
blank vote or
white vote) is a
vote cast in an
election to demonstrate the caster's dissatisfaction with the choice of candidates or refusal of the current
political system. In this latter case, protest vote may take the form of a valid vote, but instead of voting for the mainstream candidates, it is a vote in favor of a minority or fringe candidate, either from the
far-left,
far-right or self-presenting as a candidate foreign to the political system.