As I understand it, it is the votes themselves that are the 'mining' part of the equation, as you vote (mine) you acquire Steem Power, some of which you leave behind on the post, some of which you take with you to spread on other posts..... I think.
CG
I think mining is still mining and when you vote, the steem you acquire is distributed to you by the network, steem that has already been mined.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
You think wrong. While CPU-mining is still possible, the major part of new steem is created through voting
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit