well, they can be....you upvote yourself...or downvote others 
...i saw a very interesting alt of a steem whale who DOWNvoted people...me included )
...i saw a very interesting alt of a steem whale who DOWNvoted people...me included ) That's what I thought - doesn't seem 'fair' to me to allow someone to have multiple accounts (can be clearly seen from looking at transaction history on an account).