"They can't."

They most certain can! The ONLY down-vote I received on my last post was from @block-power, and yet the post was still hidden, and my reputation dropped.

" I know Bullionstackers is a comment farmer and a troll."

Then why is he still allowed to be on Steemit? It's members like that who are turning Steemit into such as cesspool, resulting in new members leaving as fast as they come, and ever older members to call it quits and leave. Shut his account down! It will make things much better for the rest of us. No one wants a scumbag like that.