http://www.perlmonks.org?node_id=56541


in reply to Re: Is There A Palm Beach Butterfly Ballot Problem at Perlmonks?
in thread Is There A Palm Beach Butterfly Ballot Problem at Perlmonks?

I think the purpose of a null vote is to allow a user to see what a post's reputation is. One can only see that information if one has already voted concerning the post.

Otherwise seeing a post's reputation might affect the vote for or against that post.That would be sort of a late-polls-closing-in-Northern-Florida problem, but one that is effectively addressed here at perlmonks.org by preserving the null vote option.