Unveiling the Peril of Protest Votes: An Enlightenment to Guide Political Behavior in Liberia

Considering the Liberian society as the contextual setting or background, this study interrogates protest votes as another form of political behavior. It employs the conceptual analysis approach categorized as one of the kinds of qualitative research methods. Using the frustration-aggression theory as its theoretical framework, the paper unveils the inherent peril or risk associated with protest votes unknown to registered voters. It sees protest votes as an emotional response due to the dissatisfaction with incumbent candidates to realize campaign promises. On the premise that frustration has the proclivity to affect logical reasoning, the paper equates dissatisfaction to frustration which has implications for protest votes. Based on this premise, which is empirical, the paper argues that evidenced by the clamor (“I am calling from the most abandoned district†, “2023 is coming†) ahead of the 2023 elections, the Liberian society might witness a cyclical or repeated phenomenon of previous election results prompting the increasing clamor. The paper concludes whether the argument proffered herein is empirical or not, it does not take away the fact that protest vote is an emotional decision of voters’ dissatisfaction. As an emotional response influenced by frustration, it has the proclivity to affect their judgment during elections. For this reason, the paper cautions those making the clamor to be mindful because the frustration behind the inclination may result in illogical judgment. And finally, the paper clarifies that this caution is not in any clever or smart way to support and endorse the reelection of the incumbent leadership or candidates.