diff --git a/public/src/client/topic/votes.js b/public/src/client/topic/votes.js
index 2ead12f80497..b4365697ed69 100644
--- a/public/src/client/topic/votes.js
+++ b/public/src/client/topic/votes.js
@@ -37,6 +37,9 @@ define('forum/topic/votes', [
 
 		socket.emit('posts.getUpvoters', [pid], function (err, data) {
 			if (err) {
+				if (err.message === '[[error:no-privileges]]') {
+					return;
+				}
 				return alerts.error(err);
 			}
 			if (_showTooltip[pid] && data.length) {
@@ -98,7 +101,7 @@ define('forum/topic/votes', [
 	};
 
 	Votes.showVotes = function (pid) {
-		socket.emit('posts.getVoters', { pid: pid, cid: ajaxify.data.cid }, function (err, data) {
+		socket.emit('posts.getVoters', { pid: pid }, function (err, data) {
 			if (err) {
 				if (err.message === '[[error:no-privileges]]') {
 					return;
diff --git a/src/socket.io/posts/votes.js b/src/socket.io/posts/votes.js
index 4c971efd82cc..3e1be2b5e397 100644
--- a/src/socket.io/posts/votes.js
+++ b/src/socket.io/posts/votes.js
@@ -10,14 +10,14 @@ const meta = require('../../meta');
 
 module.exports = function (SocketPosts) {
 	SocketPosts.getVoters = async function (socket, data) {
-		if (!data || !data.pid || !data.cid) {
+		if (!data || !data.pid) {
 			throw new Error('[[error:invalid-data]]');
 		}
-		const showDownvotes = !meta.config['downvote:disabled'];
-		const canSeeVotes = meta.config.votesArePublic || await privileges.categories.isAdminOrMod(data.cid, socket.uid);
-		if (!canSeeVotes) {
+		const cid = await posts.getCidByPid(data.pid);
+		if (!await canSeeVotes(socket.uid, cid)) {
 			throw new Error('[[error:no-privileges]]');
 		}
+		const showDownvotes = !meta.config['downvote:disabled'];
 		const [upvoteUids, downvoteUids] = await Promise.all([
 			db.getSetMembers(`pid:${data.pid}:upvote`),
 			showDownvotes ? db.getSetMembers(`pid:${data.pid}:downvote`) : [],
@@ -42,21 +42,12 @@ module.exports = function (SocketPosts) {
 			throw new Error('[[error:invalid-data]]');
 		}
 
-		const [cids, data, isAdmin] = await Promise.all([
-			posts.getCidsByPids(pids),
-			posts.getUpvotedUidsByPids(pids),
-			privileges.users.isAdministrator(socket.uid),
-		]);
-
-		if (!isAdmin) {
-			const isAllowed = await privileges.categories.isUserAllowedTo(
-				'topics:read', _.uniq(cids), socket.uid
-			);
-			if (isAllowed.includes(false)) {
-				throw new Error('[[error:no-privileges]]');
-			}
+		const cids = await posts.getCidsByPids(pids);
+		if ((await canSeeVotes(socket.uid, cids)).includes(false)) {
+			throw new Error('[[error:no-privileges]]');
 		}
 
+		const data = await posts.getUpvotedUidsByPids(pids);
 		if (!data.length) {
 			return [];
 		}
@@ -84,4 +75,23 @@ module.exports = function (SocketPosts) {
 		);
 		return result;
 	};
+
+	async function canSeeVotes(uid, cids) {
+		const isArray = Array.isArray(cids);
+		if (!isArray) {
+			cids = [cids];
+		}
+		const [canRead, isAdmin, isMod] = await Promise.all([
+			privileges.categories.isUserAllowedTo(
+				'topics:read', _.uniq(cids), uid
+			),
+			privileges.users.isAdministrator(uid),
+			privileges.users.isModerator(uid, cids),
+		]);
+
+		const checks = cids.map(
+			(cid, index) => isAdmin || isMod[index] || (canRead[index] && !!meta.config.votesArePublic)
+		);
+		return isArray ? checks : checks[0];
+	}
 };