Originally Posted by
Petamocto
I know this is meant to be in good fun, but I'm not sure how it can't come off like a popularity contest.
The "best" mod based on votes may plausibly end up being someone who jokes around on the forum, but doesn't actually do any work that benefits the website. That mod may also try to be extra friendly and never penalize anyone.
As a contrast, there may be a mod who rarely posts, but does a lot of dirty work to clean up the threads. That person may also punish/ban people when required, which for the most part isn't appreciated on the receiving end.
Hopefully the mod who ends up winning is based on doing a good job, but if the recent Canadian election proves anything, it's that being popular wins more votes than being better.