Formal disapproval

Formal disapproval, in political science and diplomacy, is any method of registering disapproval of a political measure - usually by exercise of the right of abstention[?] or veto. The more qualitative idea of a formal protest[?] involves stating the 'reasons why' one objects to a measure - usually intended to convince or persuade rather than simply add to the numbers of non-participants or protesters.

Formal disapproval of an election process can be called a boycott but that term is more commonly associated with moral purchasing in marketplaces.

Disapproval voting is the most formalized way in which to express direct disapproval, e.g. the electors expressing formal disapproval of an incumbent in representative recall.