I'll toss in my two cents... I cannot remember the last time that the day the polls went up coincided with the date listed in the topic, do note; however, that I haven't entered a BBC contest in a good while, nor have I paid attention to them in this time period. I feel that it's really a matter of trust, the contest host and the helpers make an obligation to have the polls up by a certain time, generally the day after the entrance period closes. History shows that this obligation is not generally kept, issues arise in the real world, which as B6 cites in Czar's entry, take precedent. By making an obligation and not keeping it, that's where the problem is for me. Now, I don't really pay attention to BZP much anymore, but it does irk me. If you can't keep the date, than in the future, move the date back, make it reasonable. Life isn't perfect, things don't always run like clockwork, that's why the date should be moved back. I don't doubt that the work can't be done in the one day period, but life outside BZP takes precedence, so it shouldn't take one day.
Wall of text I know, but that's how I feel.