A good point. But the more I think about this issue, the murkier it gets. You say "more likely to be representative", but I must ask: representative of what? W

A good point. But the more I think about this issue, the murkier it gets. You say "more likely to be representative", but I must ask: representative of what? What is the "community", anyway? Is it anyone who takes 30 seconds to make an account and 10 seconds to read & vote? Or is it only the commenters? The former seems awfully broad. The latter is probably weighted toward people with a lot of time on their hands and a serious net addiction. It might also have a hint of elitism. Another issue: comments can be deleted, but votes cannot be taken back. I thought a couple of the comments were quite convincing -- in both directions. I imagine reading and then commenting is the most common order. What if someone wants to change a vote?