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How long does the "unvote" option last? Permanently? If I accidentally bump the "unvote" button on a comment that's years old, can I re-apply my vote, or only

How long does the "unvote" option last? Permanently? If I accidentally bump the "unvote" button on a comment that's years old, can I re-apply my vote, or only if it's an upvote?

dang 10y ago
That is a subtle point and I was curious if someone would ask about it! Unvote links last for an hour. This is because the main use of voting data is to rank posts, and that's time sensitive. If we let people go back and unvote after hours have gone by (let alone years), that would be rewriting history, or counterfactually messing with it. Even an hour is arguably too long. Since the main purpose of this feature is to correct misclicks and over-hasty impulses, a few minutes would probably be enough.
- netcraft 10y ago
  I think a few minutes would be fine - but it would be nice to still know how I voted after the fact.
  - dang 10y ago
    Hmm. Good point.
    - danso 10y ago
      How about in lieu of a stylesheet/visual change (since those seem to be few in number over the years), have upvote/downvote status result in a HTML element class attribute that browser-plugins can leverage for custom styling?
- wikwocket 10y ago
  An hour seems a good compromise, since one reason you may want to change your vote would be if the post was edited after you voted. An hour provides enough time for the edit to happen, and for you to see it and change your vote. If this is not a target use case and you only want people to be able to undo misclicks, then 5-10 minutes may be adequate.
- r00fus 10y ago
  I'd agree an hour is too long; I would only really unvote if it was accidental (ie, immediately) or upon perusing the other comments or data that made me rethink my moderation (which would reasonably be ~5m or so).
- DKnoll3 10y ago
  I was always under the impression that the reason you couldn't undo was purely to encourage putting thought into your votes, instead of clicking after the first sentence, getting through the rest of the post, and looking to take your upvote back. Guess I was wrong. I'd say 30 seconds should be enough, with this thought in mind =]
  - jakobegger 10y ago
    The main use case for the unvote button is for mobile, and on a spotty mobile connection it might take a lot longer than 30 seconds until the action registered.
    - lotharbot 10y ago
      Sometimes I'll vote on a comment, and then as I'm reading the replies and clarifications, or other comments elsewhere in the discussion, I'll realize I misunderstood something and will want to go back and change my vote.

How long does the "unvote" option last? Permanently? If I accidentally bump the "unvote" button on a comment that's years old, can I re-apply my vote, or only if it's an upvote?

dang 10y ago

That is a subtle point and I was curious if someone would ask about it! Unvote links last for an hour. This is because the main use of voting data is to rank posts, and that's time sensitive. If we let people go back and unvote after hours have gone by (let alone years), that would be rewriting history, or counterfactually messing with it. Even an hour is arguably too long. Since the main purpose of this feature is to correct misclicks and over-hasty impulses, a few minutes would probably be enough.

netcraft 10y ago
I think a few minutes would be fine - but it would be nice to still know how I voted after the fact.
- dang 10y ago
  Hmm. Good point.
  - danso 10y ago
    How about in lieu of a stylesheet/visual change (since those seem to be few in number over the years), have upvote/downvote status result in a HTML element class attribute that browser-plugins can leverage for custom styling?
wikwocket 10y ago
An hour seems a good compromise, since one reason you may want to change your vote would be if the post was edited after you voted. An hour provides enough time for the edit to happen, and for you to see it and change your vote. If this is not a target use case and you only want people to be able to undo misclicks, then 5-10 minutes may be adequate.
r00fus 10y ago
I'd agree an hour is too long; I would only really unvote if it was accidental (ie, immediately) or upon perusing the other comments or data that made me rethink my moderation (which would reasonably be ~5m or so).
DKnoll3 10y ago
I was always under the impression that the reason you couldn't undo was purely to encourage putting thought into your votes, instead of clicking after the first sentence, getting through the rest of the post, and looking to take your upvote back. Guess I was wrong. I'd say 30 seconds should be enough, with this thought in mind =]
- jakobegger 10y ago
  The main use case for the unvote button is for mobile, and on a spotty mobile connection it might take a lot longer than 30 seconds until the action registered.
  - lotharbot 10y ago
    Sometimes I'll vote on a comment, and then as I'm reading the replies and clarifications, or other comments elsewhere in the discussion, I'll realize I misunderstood something and will want to go back and change my vote.