Are “protest votes” a real phenomenon?
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  Are “protest votes” a real phenomenon?
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Author Topic: Are “protest votes” a real phenomenon?  (Read 387 times)
TheReckoning
Junior Chimp
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« on: October 13, 2021, 05:29:47 PM »

By this, I mean someone far-left who would vote for Trump because they thought Clinton/Biden was too moderate, or that sort of thing.

I’ve seen them brought up but it doesn’t make too much sense to me to be honest. I can see someone voting 3rd party or completely abstaining, but voting for the opposite party seems a bit weird.
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Yu748Girl83
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« Reply #1 on: October 13, 2021, 05:36:08 PM »

Yeah, they're real.
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Leroy McPherson fan
Leroymcphersonfan
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« Reply #2 on: October 13, 2021, 07:25:01 PM »

It’s not as simple as “too moderate”, but yeah they do exist.
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TML
Junior Chimp
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« Reply #3 on: October 13, 2021, 10:16:21 PM »

Yes, these people do exist. Back in 2016, a case could be made that enough of them existed to push Trump over the edge in key states. Here is an excerpt from Michael Moore's prediction of a Trump win back in July 2016 (and the actual result pretty much played out exactly as he had predicted):

Quote
5. The Jesse Ventura Effect.

Finally, do not discount the electorate’s ability to be mischievous or underestimate how any millions fancy themselves as closet anarchists once they draw the curtain and are all alone in the voting booth. It’s one of the few places left in society where there are no security cameras, no listening devices, no spouses, no kids, no boss, no cops, there’s not even a friggin’ time limit. You can take as long as you need in there and no one can make you do anything. You can push the button and vote a straight party line, or you can write in Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. There are no rules. And because of that, and the anger that so many have toward a broken political system, millions are going to vote for Trump not because they agree with him, not because they like his bigotry or ego, but just because they can. Just because it will upset the apple cart and make mommy and daddy mad. And in the same way like when you’re standing on the edge of Niagara Falls and your mind wonders for a moment what would that feel like to go over that thing, a lot of people are going to love being in the position of puppetmaster and plunking down for Trump just to see what that might look like. Remember back in the ‘90s when the people of Minnesota elected a professional wrestler as their governor? They didn’t do this because they’re stupid or thought that Jesse Ventura was some sort of statesman or political intellectual. They did so just because they could. Minnesota is one of the smartest states in the country. It is also filled with people who have a dark sense of humor — and voting for Ventura was their version of a good practical joke on a sick political system. This is going to happen again with Trump.

This was reflected in exit polls as follows:

Of people who voted for Trump:

-13% said they would react negatively to him winning.
-15% had an unfavorable view of him personally.
-17% thought he was unqualified to serve as President.
-19% thought he did not have the right temperament to be President.
-20% felt he was dishonest and/or untrustworthy.

In other words, these voters thought, "I think he's dishonest/unqualified/untrustworthy/tempermantally unsuited to be President, but I'm going to vote for him anyways since I want change and I think he's the one to bring it."

Normally, one would expect such voters to comprise <5% of the total electorate, but the fact that they comprised such a large slice of the electorate in 2016 shows you just how much some voters were willing to take a chance with Trump even if they may not be aligned with him ideologically.
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