Concerning the "protest votes" that I keep hearing

[Ferrets are Cool]

cost Clinton the election. Can someone point me to a link or "something" that proves that the "protest vote"
was what lost the election to the PGIC.
I have searched and searched and cannot find definitive proof of this, only conjecture.

One of the clearest things I did find was on the NPR site...https://www.npr.org/2016/11/12/501848636/7-reasons-donald-trump-won-the-presidential-election.
It lists 7 reasons why she lost and nowhere do I find protest votes.

This is something I've been curious about for some time and thought I would ask for help here. Please keep this civil if possible.

[bearsfootball516]

1. Here are a few numbers

In Michigan, Trump defeated Clinton by roughly 11,000 votes.

In Michigan, Gary Johnson, Jill Stein and other third party candidates received about 250,000 votes.

By comparison, third party candidates received about 50,000 votes in Michigan in 2012.

In Wisconsin, Trump defeated Clinton by about 23,000 votes.

In Wisconsin, Johnson, Stein and other 3rd party candidates received a little less than 200,000 votes.

The trend continues in Pennsylvania, Ohio, etc.

[Ferrets are Cool]

3. But this is my legitimate question....

How are these PROTEST votes. Americans have always voted for 3rd party candidates. Hell, even Perot won 18.9% of the popular vote. Sometimes people just don't like either of the main candidates. On my ballot, there wasn't an option for PROTEST VOTE:

[bearsfootball516]

4. There's no real way to tell exactly how many are protest votes

But the fact that 3rd party votes skyrocketed in Michigan from 50,000 in 2012 to 250,000 in 2016 should give you an idea.

[Ferrets are Cool]

5. The idea it gives me is that the election was

hacked/rigged.

[NCTraveler]

2. There is no question that LIV's going third party hurt.

The extent of that damage is unclear, in total. But they are extremists and it's what they do. Look at me!!!

If you call them LIV narcissistic extremists you don't have to put quotation marks around it. They weren't "protesting" with their votes. Hence the reason for quotation marks.