We're assuming people are using the vote buttons to vote, and not save articles for later. What if a percentage of people said "that looks good, that looks good", vote for them so they can review them in their 'saved stories' at a later date?
What if HN would not allow people to vote on things unless they actually clicked on the link?
I think this is a good suggestion. Even worse than people using the vote button to save stories for later: I've found myself occasionally voting on articles because I assume I'd like the article, without reading it.
I scold myself whenever I catch myself doing it. But I bet others do the same thing.
I do the exact opposite. I only upvote articles if I read it and know that I will almost certainly want to read it again later. I'm not sure if this is better or worse practice...
What if HN would not allow people to vote on things unless they actually clicked on the link?