Sorry for all the confusion while I was gone!
orchidsarefun did contribute, and both he and I didn't realize that he wasn't properly signed up. So I'll count his vote anyways.
The reason for the deadline was because very often there are people who see a poll and vote, with no intention of joining in. They don't really pay attention to what the poll was actually for. And sometimes those extra votes make a huge difference. And it was simpler for me to have a fixed list of participants while I was gone, rather than a list that keeps changing. I'll add Janice in for the second poll, it's no problem.
The more the merrier!
Since I'll be able to keep a close eye on the final poll, people can still join now, but I need to be informed via this thread (or a PM) to avoid removing their vote. Tomorrow I'll change the first post to reflect this.