I think if anyone HAS voted more than once, they should be put in a small, locked room for 10 minutes with the most vicious honey badger on the planet: :)
As a neutral, I must say I agree with your "conveniently beaten" opinion....when I voted this morning the HB was 4 votes clear and pulling away......now they are level.
I'm beginning to think some people have voted more than once....would a list of IP addresses discount this theory?