It is my experience that (right or wrong) some people tend to upvote PerlMonks Discussion nodes they agree with, and downvote ones they disagree with, almost as if that voting is a way of casting an opinion on the topic, rather than casting a vote on the node's quality. Combine that with the fact that just about any node that discusses the XP and voting system tends to be a magnet for erratic voting, and you're sure to see a few downvotes.

I wouldn't worry about it too much if I were you. Go out and celebrate the new year.