A few notes:

• "shift(@_)" can be written simply as "shift"
• The subroutine should return a string, instead of setting a global variable. It's a good practice to get into, especially when you start messing with packages.
• A return also allows the sub to be stuck directly into the program without using a variable (see the chad example below)
• The ternary operator is cool. :)

my $plur = &pluralize($items);
print "$items item$plur listed";

print "I counted $chads vote", &pluralize($chads),"!\n";

sub pluralize($) {
  return shift==1 ? "" : "s";
}
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