If this delegate "delegate-proposal-proxy-test.misc.nikolai" is not voted in, no differentiation is made between people who completely missed the memo, and active members like Ander who explicitly abstained.
NuBits has the same problem. As more and more diverse holders become absent voters, it becomes more and more difficult to approve anything (which requires 51%). With delegates, at least, you don't need 51% of stake voting "yes" to be approved -- you just need more votes than the other candidates receive.
The idea in this thread is called "motions" in NuBits, and already exists on that blockchain, but with the above-mentioned issue. I would recommend "yes, no, abstain" as three distinct voting states, though then it's not clear how to determine final approval. 3% yes, 1% no, 96% abstain does not sound like the final will of the voters.
That said, the simple fact that this thread exists shows that proposal voting is needed. We're using a delegate to stand in as a proposal to propose proposal voting!