At some point I would like to put together guidelines based on a conglomeration of what people said here and have said about downvotes in the past.
We really don't need to reinvent the wheel here but we just have to realize there will never be a consensus.
And if someone uses their downvote outside of those guidelines there’s really not much we can do about it.
You’re absolutely right. The truth is, except those that vote (positive or negative) decide which they want, I don’t even think that anyone can influence their decision.
Personally, I expect the worse and just keep hoping for the best. Everyone has their reasons for whatever choice they make and we can only try the persuade them a little but in the end, they are the ones to still call the shots.