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On the PSE main site (so not on this site), I normally never downvote a question or answer, but sometimes you change your thought about this (after upvoting). Is it okay to edit (when I wanted to downvote, the message was sent to me that I could do this only after editing the answer) just for the purpose of downvoting?

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    $\begingroup$ Why did this question get downvoted? $\endgroup$
    – Winston
    Mar 28, 2021 at 7:25
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    $\begingroup$ @Winston Downvotes on Meta are different than on the main site. Here they indicate disagreement with the idea that it is okay to edit a question to downvote it after you initially upvoted it $\endgroup$ Mar 28, 2021 at 8:40
  • $\begingroup$ @BioPhysicist: thanks... but does that mean any binary (yes/no) question on meta get aye/nay votes? Is this standard practice? $\endgroup$
    – Winston
    Mar 28, 2021 at 10:11
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    $\begingroup$ @Winston If the question is proposing some type of action, yes. $\endgroup$ Mar 28, 2021 at 11:48
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    $\begingroup$ @BioPhysicist: Is there a help section that clearly defines the meaning of votes in meta? This is not the first time I get confused. $\endgroup$
    – Winston
    Mar 29, 2021 at 8:09
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    $\begingroup$ @Winston physics.stackexchange.com/help/whats-meta on this particular post the feature request tag isn't used, but I think same the voting attitude usually carries over in cases like this. At least for me that's how I voted on this particular question. $\endgroup$ Mar 29, 2021 at 11:04

1 Answer 1

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Please use edits to substantially improve the posts they are attached to.

Please do not use trivial edits as backdoors to enable site features that are inaccessible to you for some reason.

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  • $\begingroup$ What is the reason? For preventing a vote change for answers and not questions, that is. $\endgroup$
    – Winston
    Mar 28, 2021 at 7:24
  • $\begingroup$ @Winston, if I left you with the impression that I was suggesting different treatment for answers versus questions, that was not intentional. $\endgroup$
    – rob Mod
    Mar 28, 2021 at 18:01
  • $\begingroup$ My question is why cannot we change a vote to an answer but can when it comes to a question? What is the rationale? $\endgroup$
    – Winston
    Mar 29, 2021 at 8:08
  • $\begingroup$ After a vote is more than five minutes old, it can’t be changed unless the post has been edited. This is true for both question and answers. I just tested to confirm, but it took me a few tries to locate a question that hadn’t been edited after my vote. $\endgroup$
    – rob Mod
    Mar 29, 2021 at 13:22
  • $\begingroup$ Ah sorry I thought it was answers only, my mistake. $\endgroup$
    – Winston
    Mar 29, 2021 at 16:17

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