This problem will never be solved if it hasn't by now. Downvoting as disagreement, or to punish unpopular ideas, is rampant. And downvoting is not just a way of

This problem will never be solved if it hasn't by now. Downvoting as disagreement, or to punish unpopular ideas, is rampant. And downvoting is not just a way of EXPRESSING disagreement, it's a way to suppress those you disagree with by hiding their comments. And, as pointed out here and elsewhere in this submission, the vouching mechanism that WAS meant to solve it will be silently disabled for your account if you use it to offset too many posts which are TOO unpopular or disagreed-with.