As for the comments from the shoutbox and BiGMaC's post above:
BiGMaC sts; "posting results instantly elevates the process above suspicion"
- the poll will be shown at the top of this thread just like it used to be right after the vote.
As for "encouraging participation", "openness being the key", and "generating shoutbox shouts and thread posts"...all of this goes against Yowen's comment of not influencing others before they vote. I understand nobody can see the actual results until they have voted...but once a clear lead is in place the voting seems to stop. Month after month.
This tells me that all the chatter about there being a leader is actually deterring others away from voting. This is the first month that nobody knows who's in the lead...or by how much...and frankly it's exciting! PLUS the votes keep steadily coming in.
I'll leave you with this thought:
You're at a car show and you see a man selling a 50/50 raffle ticket. Would you buy a raffle ticket with the winning number already picked? They don't tell you the number until you buy a ticket...then they hand you the ticket...you show them the number...and they say; "nope...sorry", until the winning ticket is sold.
But that's not how they do it...anywhere...ever.
Instead, they make you wait alllll the way until the very end of the event. Then there's an announcement...a production...theatrics...suspense...a sense of occasion...a drumroll for gosh sakes.
...AND THE WINNER IS...!!!
*boom.