<p>Several points made here. Currently, there is little oversight for downvoting, perhaps this is not as constructive as it could be. For example,</p>

<p>(1) We routinely cast closure votes based upon criteria, and closures can be reversed. If we were to institute something along those lines for downvoting, the quality of downvoting might approach that of question closure, but might have to be individualized for each downvoter. Therein, the down-voter would choose an approved reason for down-voting. Then, we could thus have a review cue for edited Q/A for down-vote reversal by a third party or parties. For example, this could be required for users with less that 500 reputation, so as to train users to down vote appropriately. With or without a reputation threshold for review, this may offer some remedy for 'sticky' down votes, and oversight for 'strategic' down voting, e.g., down voting someone else's answer for spite of the 'How dare you compete with my answer?' type, or down voting to vandalize posts as a form of entertainment.</p>

<p>(2) Expert opinion is more needed for down voting for cause than recognition of cause for up voting, for example, currently we can up vote with 15+ reputation and down vote with 125+ reputation. The thinking on this is that it may not be 'enough' of a difference, but at least it is 'something'. (This is human nature, for example, people recognize more concepts (or words) than they are capable of using properly.) I would like to see this 125+ increased if we do not review downvotes. As 200+ is the threshold for being in the leagues, I do not see why someone with so low a reputation as to not be in the leagues should be trusted to issue a down vote that is never reviewed.  </p>

<p>(3) There is currently no limit to the percentage of downvotes one can issue. How would the reader feel about a user who never upvotes? Would that be someone who the reader would be comfortable with to review the reader's posts? Perhaps we should consider behaviour limits of some type, for example, not allowing more than 20% down votes. <code>Down vote quota exceeded. You must up vote 4 more Q/A to down vote again.</code> </p>

<p>(4) Downvote avoidance strategies. (a) I note that the use of flippant language, personification, mixed metaphors, and other forms of informal language, even when it is intended to be merely entertaining, or less sterile than formal expression, that it can attract down-votes. (b) I sometimes lose longer posts that are in the process of being edited. Use of the back arrow (above) may be the remedy for this rather than posting incomplete text to obviate incomplete text, non-meritorious, down-voting.</p>
