Poll: If you have the ability, do you abstain from down voting?

Abstain from downvoting? I've in fact adopted the tactic of agressive downvoting.

Spurious logic? Downvote. Personal attack? Downvote. Comment scored higher than I feel it should? Downvote. Metadiscussion? Downvote.

I lurk on the new comments page and ruthlessly wield my downvoting power like a foul-tempered monarch. If you're one of those people whining, "Why was I downvoted?" -- well it was probably me. And I'll downvote your whining too, and anyone who replies to your whining, and anyone who whines about whining, and I'll downvote your family and kids too.

Note that if you downvote too much, the votes aren't counted, so you have to upvote once in a while too.

I flagged this Poll too. Take that, Internet.

No, I don't abstain entirely. But I downvote much more sparingly than I upvote.

I only downvote people who are rude, condescending, youtube-esque, etc. Not comments which are incorrect, or that I disagree with.

I sometimes wish I could downvote submissions if for no other reason than to try and clear out faster the submissions that really have nothing to do with HN (eg certain pure politics posts). I'd rather HN not turn into an ideological battleground.

As for comments, I don't downvote if I disagree with something. I will downvote comments that make huge and important factual errors or are rude or otherwise obnoxious.

What I actually find a bit more irritating is that someone will come up with a well reasoned comment with links covering say 6-8 paragraphs and get 2 votes. Someone will correct them on a minor and largely irrelevant point and get 18 upvotes.

In my 3 + years here I have never downvoted except by accidentally clicking the link. I do not think downvotes add any value whatsoever.

Of course not.