Q:

Clearly highlight answer downvoters with activity in same question

I propose a change to the question view that makes it clear which users are downvoting an answer while supplying their own. Here is a UI mockup to illustrate my idea:
http://www.rvenables.com/linkjackandsufferaccidentaldroptable/downvote-detail.png
This simple fix would highlight users who are gaming the system by downvoting answers just to increase the odds of their answer being upvoted.

A:

Downvoting is intentionally anonymous for a reason. Highlighting users who downvote a question is going to lead to even less downvoting in the future. We already have enough stuff that does NOT get downvoted due to the cost of it compared with the freebie upvotes. Adding in yet another reason to -not- downvote is just another reason that you might as well do away with it altogether.
Edit: It should also be noted that making downvoting public increases drama because now you have a target to go and revenge vote against if you ever feel slighted

A:

BAD IDEA!
I usually don't even leave comments now when i down-vote. Why? Because some people take it waaaay too personally. I remember one particularly bad instance, where the author of a down-voted answer grilled the author of another answer in comments because he suspected him of down-voting based entirely on a slightly-critical comment. He kept it up for something like an hour, even as the second author vehemently denied it! By the time all was said and done, any value that might have been had in that comment was buried under the bitter whining and groundless accusations.
That sort of drama is far, far more harmful than a little bit of strategic down-voting. 

