They could be user submitted and the admins/mods could choose a poll to display every week.

I think it would fit well in the sidebar with the percentage of overall votes being shown once your vote is cast.

I think small things like that help build a sense of community and helps keep people engaged. The topic of the polls could be as lighthearted or serious as the mods decide, though i'd personally like a mix of both.

Thanks to whoever fixed the tags, i'm still not entirely sure how to tag topics appropriately.