Duplicate Feature Requests - How are they evaluated?

Question

After surviving nearly a month in the meta, I understand that feature requests are reviewed and given a status (any status after review - accepted, declined, by-design, under-cons...) based on the number of upvotes.

My Question:

1. If a feature request is repeated as a duplicate, will the votes in duplicate count too? Will the votes cumulate?

   • Many feature-requests have duplicate status and the votes on the original post varies widely from the votes on the duplicate post (may be more or less)

2. Do the number of duplicates also count toward being given a status?

To summarize, if a feature request is duplicated n times, will the 'n' also count along with the upvotes?

Edit:

The most important thing you can do to help support old feature requests is upvote them. The reqs tab is around to basically mirror the process that the team uses in deciding what might be important to look at. They are more likely to spend time looking into a feature that has some level of community support. This has been repeatedly stressed by the Team at various points.

Really, this is sometimes more useful than paying heed to the status tags. Even officially declined requests may end up implemented after reconsideration. The important thing is to give good reason for reconsideration - bump it with an answer that provides additional data in addition to upvoting it. If you can bring enough support to the idea, it increases the chances that it will get looked at.

This was taken from answer here given by Grace Note.

Edit 2:

Let me make it crystal clear, I am not asking about implementation of a requested feature, just review of the feature by the official team and giving a status to the request. By status I mean the request has been seen by the official team and considered as an option and debated upon. Then finally the conclusion of that discussion is posted as status. (Or whatever process a request undergoes)

Answer 1

Based on what I've seen, I'm quite certain that the score of a feature request is only one factor considered --- and not the most important factor --- before declining or accepting a feature request. Some heavily upvoted feature requests have been declined. For instance, see this one, which stands at a score 618 as we speak, and yet was declined.

I doubt there is any kind of vote summing from across duplicates, or that the multiplicity of duplicates is a factor in favor of a feature request being implemented, but someone who's actually in the know would have to confirm.

Regarding Grace Note's quote, she says:

The most important thing you can do to help support old feature requests is upvote them.

I disagree with this. It is the easiest thing one can do to support a feature request but not the most important. Again, this is based on how I've seen feature requests being handled. In my opinion, the most important thing is (still quoting Grace Note from the same quote in the question here):

The important thing is to give good reason for reconsideration - bump it with an answer that provides additional data in addition to upvoting it. If you can bring enough support to the idea, it increases the chances that it will get looked at.

This is the most important thing. Giving a good rationale is much more important than a vote.