> Can we consider this a preliminary election of candidates, and then do this all over again somehow, but with some sort of decent preferential voting method?

... can we consider that you to tell us how to do achieve this?

Option 1: Realizing it with perlmonk accounts => restriction to available mechanisms.

Option 2: Using external service with login => perlmonks have to register again, people get lost.

Option 3: Using external service without login => multiple votes can manipulate the result.

Option 4: user je44ery implements his wishes within the monastery...

Well, it could be done manually but non-anonymously using option 1 (via another PMD thread). But then again, after performing my noontime stretching and a hot bath afterward to relieve tension, the imperative just isn't there for me now. Strange that.

Hmm since it's possible to vote on past polls, we could theoretically initiate 5 parallel polls and link to them.

Like this everybody would have 5 votes to distribute among his favorite(s).

Anyway we would still need a person to add the results...

Cheers Rolf