Abstract: This paper offers a new conceptual and justificatory account of protest voting. Conceptually, it analyzes protest voting as a communicative act that aims to contribute to the elimination or mitigation of severe —primarily, political and social—injustices. This conceptual framework contrasts with the prevalent philosophical understanding of protest voting as a means to protect one’s moral purity or integrity, and offers a better fit with the conceptualization(s) of protest voting in comparative political science. Understanding protest voting as a form of resistance to injustice, the paper develops a justificatory account grounded in defensive ethics. This account yields nuanced and principled judgments about when protest voting is morally permissible even if it is harmful. Thus, it offers a context-sensitive normative approach to lesser evil voting situations, where at least some justice-based considerations pro tanto count in favor of voting for the lesser evil, while protest voting consists in other forms of electoral behavior.
Note: This is a pre-read seminar. Please email polemo@ceu.edu to receive a copy of the draft.
Zoom link: https://ceu-edu.zoom.us/j/93124247103?pwd=3wYfhCeNnkJ2TRDyfuNe7Eyz4tKG8…