How should we handle mischaracterization of other user's answers?

Question

I am just using this as an example, I am not requesting any action be taken against any user of any kind. This just brings up an important question of how to handle possible misrepresentations of another user's question/answer. I am hoping for feedback on what the community thinks is the best course of action. I a grateful that the user didn't think my edit was a contentious edit and flag it.

I ask this because I tried to correct what I thought was a mischaracterization of my answer in this other user's answer. (My edit is on the bottom)

-Do “free” Voter IDs cost $25 in any state?

No. As your answer points out, there is no direct fee for a voter ID.

No. As your answer points out, there is no direct fee for a voter ID nor is their a $25 fee associated with any required documents in any state.

If you examine my answer, I never claim there is "a direct fee for voter ID. In fact my answer states multiple times that there is no indirect fee for required supporting documentation. It explains the minimum requirements for identification, notes some rejections of minority/poor's inability to obtain ID in court cases, and lists the actual free/low cost alternatives of all 50 states. (excerpt below)

No state requires paying a fee to vote. If you are unable to pay the required costs associated with obtaining the documentation to prove you can legally vote (indigent), then those fees are waived. If you are unable to travel to vote, you can always vote absentee, and similarly those people are exempt from providing supporting documentation.

I also corrected some ambiguity in my quoted? questions. The first is ambiguous because of an unreferenced pronoun.

Is this claim a misrepresentation of Voter ID requirements?

Is thisthe claim , "Obtaining photo ID can be costly and burdensome, with even free state ID requiring documents like a birth certificate that can cost up to $25 in some places," a misrepresentation of Voter ID requirements?

and this question, where my example in the OP to clarify what I meant by, "Is this claim a misrepresentation of Voter ID requirements?" was cut short. (There are other points too that I would call mischaracterizations, but I didn't catch them at first).

Are anti-VoterID advocates just claiming that birth certificates can cost as much as $25

Are anti-VoterID advocates just claiming that birth certificates can cost as much as $25. Voter ID laws require documents, an example of which is a birth certificate or utility bill, and they are just using the more expensive example?

My question is, what is the proper way to handle what could be considered a mischaracterization of another user's question/answer?

Answer 1

Downvote the answer if you think it's a low quality answer and/or if you think it misunderstands you question.

That's what downvotes are for.

Answer 2

Write a better answer in response.

Seriously. If you want to deal with inaccuracies in the question or with other answers, man up and submit your corrections to the will of the voters yourself.

Leave their inaccuracies alone. Chances are, whatever they wrote that was wrong is believed by someone else. By addressing the fallacy you have done the internet a service and hopefully earned yourself some points at the same time.

Answer 3

We consider it best practice to not characterize another user's position? For example:

-Do “free” Voter IDs cost $25 in any state?

See foo-user's answer for details. (Hyperlink)

or

I won't rehash, "Do “free” Voter IDs cost $25 in any state?", because foo-user already provided an excellent answer. As to your other questions [...]

---

Editing another users post to correct mischaracterizations seems fraught with issues, (Edit wars, etc). Appealing to the Moderators doesn't seem like a good fix, because moderators aren't supposed to determine the truthfulness of answers. It may be the case that mischaracterizations are harmful to Politics.SE though. I could imagine users stating:

"As foo-user points out in their answer, Obama is Kenyan/Republicans eat babies."