Background: I've been a Hive witness for quite some time and have been sitting around the 21-22 position. Recently, I received two votes from folks related to Splinterlands. As always, I was happy to get the votes, but this time, it was not an appreciation but to force me to vote on the proposal.
Being in top20 witnesses has financial and governance advantages. Top witnesses decide on network parameters and get significantly higher reward for their jobs (roughly 3-4 times more than top21 and lower). Read montly earning reports to get more information about this
This has become a way to intimidate witnesses and "convince" them to do what some folks with high stakes want.
For your information, I'm not voting for proposal 315 and even voted Return Proposal to increase the funding threshold (I did this before I got the message as this is the only way to "vote no" for proposals). I'm not voting for it for many reasons and I don't want to touch this topic now.
Vote for your witnesses
As a community, you have the right and privilege to vote for witnesses who align with your vision. Do it. Consider who you want to vote for as a witness and review your votes now.
I will always be happy to receive your vote (even the smallest one), but it won't influence my decisions.
Worth reading @pharesim statement on the same situation from his side: And there I was, thinking i could avoid politics