There is so much being discussed in this thread!
First, I want to say, regarding the hidden/open polls and the classics poll:
In the classics poll, the option for keeping both classics received a
majority. Even if you added the other options together, they still wouldn't have equalled the same amount of votes as the winning option. There was never a need for a run-off vote because it had already proven to be the clear winner.
In the first hidden/open poll, the "always hidden" option had only received a
plurality. It did not have a majority. If all the other options were added together, they would've equalled more than the votes for the leading option. So when Tom stopped the poll, a run-off was in order to determine what the majority wanted.
Besides that (even though that is enough), there is the idea that a compromise was possible on this issue at all times. It never had to be "winner take all" in that discussion. It's too late now since I was suggesting alternating as the simplest compromise, but another good compromise would've been to have a poll only between "hidden" and "open", with the percentage that each option received determining how many months that option got for 2012. I didn't suggest that because I thought alternating was simpler and I thought enough people would want to compromise for it to win and everyone be happy with it. I guess I was wrong.