If the intent is to use Abstain to express neutrality or perhaps indifference, 50/50 weighted is the correct vote.
In the event a validator wishes to express “conflict” by voting abstain, while it’s socially accepted as expressing “no vote,” voting abstain does not recuse a voting validator. Technically and quantitatively it has a calculable effect.
In fact, voting abstain in non sequential elections where relative quotas are used as qualifying requirements – tallied abstentions in these contexts carry well known “no-show paradox” effects.
The impact of abstain in establishing QUORUM (ABSOLUTE quota, 40%, proportion of network) must not be conflated with its effects on THRESHOLD (RELATIVE quota, 50%, minimum proportion of participating voting power required to pass a proposal).
With a relative quota the # of votes required to win varies w # of votes cast; thus w relative quotas, the effect of voter’s decision to abstain REDUCES the number of votes necessary to pass a proposal.
The issue with using abstain with current param for threshold, is that the abstainer’s potential support or opposition to the prop is often NOT removed in equal measure – 50/50, as commonly assumed, but removed in proportion of the relative quota requirement.
Will be sharing some chain data soon to convey the above.