This is an
essay. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of
Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been
thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints. |
Supervote is a term used on Wikipedia, often in a deletion review or move review, in reference to a discussion closure ("a close") that reflects the preference of the closer, rather than according to the content of the discussion. It is usually used as an accusation that this is the case, carrying the implication that the closer should have entered the discussion as a participant instead of closing, and that the close should be overturned.
Deletion discussions are closed to reflect the consensus in the discussion.
It should be noted that consensus discussions (including XfDs and RfCs) are not really polls. For example, if an XfD discussion has more "keeps" than "deletes" but the "deletes" are grounded in policy and the "keeps" are of the WP:ILIKEIT variety (or conversely if the deletes say WP:ITSCRUFT and the "keeps" are grounded in policy), it's not a "supervote" to close in accordance with a significant minority opinion.
However, an XfD discussion is not an "admin's suggestion box" either. Unless there are serious policy problems with the majority view, a consensus heavily skewed to one side should not be closed the other way. For example, if the majority view at an AfD is based on a position that would clearly violate verifiability or BLP concerns, the majority is wrong. Similarly, it doesn't matter whether the majority wants to keep a file in a FfD debate if it would violate the non-free content policy, which is prescriptively enforced as a legal matter. If a person feels that the opinions expressed in an XfD are contrary to policy but is not certain, then it is better to comment instead of close. The point raised can help inform the discussion, and this may help someone else to close appropriately.
There are several varieties of supervote, all of them problematic except the last one:
A "non-prejudicial supervote" is when an XfD is closed either against the consensus in the discussion or where there is no clear consensus, though the closer has left a closing rationale that the close is an "editorial decision" and states what the actual consensus is (if there is one). For example, redirect is an acceptable compromise when consensus is against a standalone article but split among merge, redirect, and delete. It might also apply if an administrator closes an AfD with no !votes as "delete" but offers to restore the article upon request. As an editorial decision, the standard rules of consensus-building and edit-warring apply to the result of such a close so no attempt should be made to "administratively" enforce the result.
This is an
essay. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of
Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been
thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints. |
Supervote is a term used on Wikipedia, often in a deletion review or move review, in reference to a discussion closure ("a close") that reflects the preference of the closer, rather than according to the content of the discussion. It is usually used as an accusation that this is the case, carrying the implication that the closer should have entered the discussion as a participant instead of closing, and that the close should be overturned.
Deletion discussions are closed to reflect the consensus in the discussion.
It should be noted that consensus discussions (including XfDs and RfCs) are not really polls. For example, if an XfD discussion has more "keeps" than "deletes" but the "deletes" are grounded in policy and the "keeps" are of the WP:ILIKEIT variety (or conversely if the deletes say WP:ITSCRUFT and the "keeps" are grounded in policy), it's not a "supervote" to close in accordance with a significant minority opinion.
However, an XfD discussion is not an "admin's suggestion box" either. Unless there are serious policy problems with the majority view, a consensus heavily skewed to one side should not be closed the other way. For example, if the majority view at an AfD is based on a position that would clearly violate verifiability or BLP concerns, the majority is wrong. Similarly, it doesn't matter whether the majority wants to keep a file in a FfD debate if it would violate the non-free content policy, which is prescriptively enforced as a legal matter. If a person feels that the opinions expressed in an XfD are contrary to policy but is not certain, then it is better to comment instead of close. The point raised can help inform the discussion, and this may help someone else to close appropriately.
There are several varieties of supervote, all of them problematic except the last one:
A "non-prejudicial supervote" is when an XfD is closed either against the consensus in the discussion or where there is no clear consensus, though the closer has left a closing rationale that the close is an "editorial decision" and states what the actual consensus is (if there is one). For example, redirect is an acceptable compromise when consensus is against a standalone article but split among merge, redirect, and delete. It might also apply if an administrator closes an AfD with no !votes as "delete" but offers to restore the article upon request. As an editorial decision, the standard rules of consensus-building and edit-warring apply to the result of such a close so no attempt should be made to "administratively" enforce the result.