Yes. From the FAQ: > Can I ask people to upvote my submission? > No. Users should vote for a story because it's intellectually interesting, not because someon

Yes. From the FAQ: > Can I ask people to upvote my submission? > No. Users should vote for a story because it's intellectually interesting, not because someone is promoting it. > When the software detects a voting ring, it penalizes the post. Accounts that vote like this eventually get their votes ignored.