I don't see the option to turn a post (new thread) into a poll.

It's not by use of the list HTML tags, is it?

c-

The mods may have disabled them for users in all forums. People make polls-a-palooza if unrestricted.

If you have a legitimate poll you'd like to put up, feel free to PM a mod and have them set it up. As long as it's reasonable, we can do it