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Sometimes I read a particular user's answers (why else does the profile page exist?). I remember awhile ago, I went through one user's posts and saw a lot of low quality answers. I was independently evaluating each answer, and I determined independently that they were bad answers so I downvoted them. My downvotes were removed later automatically, I'm assuming for "targeted voting" which I know is bad on this site. However I was kind of shocked. These were bad answers, and I was not just attacking a user. I was independently evaluating different answers to be poor, they just all happened to be from the same user.

Now I rarely read a user's answers who posts a lot of poor answers, because I don't like reading poor answers (the one user, posted a lot of bad answers in an amusing way). However the converse is quite common. I often read through a user's profile page if they post a lot of great answers. I want to upvote all of them, because they are all good.

Is this targeted voting? Even if I independently evaluate all the answers to be good or bad? If I think one particular user has 20 bad answers, worthy of a downvote, how do I downvote all 20 of them without the system reversing it? If I think one particular user has 20 good answers, worthy of a upvote, how do I upvote all 20 of them without the system reversing it?

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    $\begingroup$ The system has a safeguard monitoring such voting (to prevent an enraged voter, possibly in the aftermath of a heated personal argument, from wreaking too much havoc). The rumor is that if you don't downvote too many posts within a certain 24 hour period, then such downvoting stays under the radar, and won't be reverted. I hope you understand why the details of exactly what triggers this vote invalidation script are kept a secret. It is relatively well known that the time UTC0300 has something to do with the time window. $\endgroup$
    – Jyrki Lahtonen
    Jun 10, 2016 at 6:21
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    $\begingroup$ @JyrkiLahtonen I fully understand the safeguard and I'm glad we have it. I'm glad it's kept secret. Thanks for the rumors though! $\endgroup$
    – user223391
    Jun 10, 2016 at 6:22
  • $\begingroup$ To add: the reversal script will invalidate a string of upvotes as well as downvotes. Targeted voting can be positive or negative. $\endgroup$
    – Jyrki Lahtonen
    Jun 10, 2016 at 6:23
  • $\begingroup$ @JyrkiLahtonen I care more about upvoting, because I'm more likely to read someone who posts a lot of good posts. But thank you. $\endgroup$
    – user223391
    Jun 10, 2016 at 6:24
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    $\begingroup$ A downvote does not say why an answer is bad. If I suddenly see that I have collected a dozen downvotes in one day, the first thing I would wonder is who is mad at me? There really should be some anonymous (to all but moderators) way to to explain a downvote. $\endgroup$
    – Steven Alexis Gregory
    Jun 12, 2016 at 14:15
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    $\begingroup$ @JyrkiLahtonen: Because security must be through obscurity? ;) $\endgroup$
    – user541686
    Jun 16, 2016 at 5:16
  • $\begingroup$ @Mehrdad: I think of it more like making it difficult to abuse. We have had users who put a lot of effort into testing the system, figuring out some information about the thresholds, and then abusing it systematically. I'm sure they could make variations to the system, makiing it nearly impossible to crack, but that is not too high a priority for the developers. And such screening should not get a dispropornate amount of the system resources anyway. $\endgroup$
    – Jyrki Lahtonen
    Jun 16, 2016 at 6:29
  • $\begingroup$ Nobody should be subjected to repeated down votes of old questions; forgive a user of his past sins*, what would you think if somebody did this to you? (*and no I'm not religious) $\endgroup$
    – noɥʇʎԀʎzɐɹƆ
    Jun 21, 2016 at 23:34
  • $\begingroup$ @noɥʇʎԀʎzɐɹƆ their past sins can be forgotten if they delete their answers. bad answers make stack exchange sites worse. if we can at least mark them as bad, most damage is neglected but it would be even better if they were removed. there is a reason why there is an insentive to delete downvoted posts. there is even a badge just for that! $\endgroup$
    – Neuron
    Apr 25, 2018 at 0:53

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I often read through a user's profile page if they post a lot of great answers. I want to upvote all of them, because they are all good.

Is this targeted voting?

Yes, at least in the sense the system could well pick up the pattern and might reverse them. Likely, you will not get into trouble for this, as long as it is not excessive.

Even if I independently evaluate all the answers to be good or bad?

Mainly the check is automatic and even if it were manual, this cannot be asserted. The time between the votes is likely a factor; it should make a difference if you actually read the post in detail and thus have an interval of three minutes between the votes or if it is just click-click-click within seconds.

If I think one particular user has 20 bad answers, worthy of a downvote, how do I downvote all 20 of them without the system reversing it?

Spread out over time with other actions in between (or not at all). This also makes sense in that it allows the user to take corrective measures themselves, rather than to put them in a hole.

If I think one particular user has 20 good answers, worthy of a upvote, how do I upvote all 20 of them without the system reversing it?

Spread out over time with other actions in between (or not al all).

On the parenthetical of "not at all." Yes, really, just do not do this. It can cause some frictions and injustices if users vote specifically on some particular user's content even if each action is perfectly sane in isolation.

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