If you’re going to protest, cast a blank vote, if you abstain you’re just going to end up mixed with the “too lazy to vote” crowd.

Also, having maned voting booths in my own country a couple of times (I expect it’s not all that different in the US) writting stuff in the your ballot paper will just make a vote invalid and nobody will record or even care about you wrote there - maybe 2 or 3 people will see your words there while counting votes, but that’s it.