It sounds so easy: "Just keep it open." The problem is people have a bias one way or the other and these "let's leave it open/let's leave it closed" solutions always expose that bias... not the actual voting.
There are two groups of people who vote on these things; the inclusionists (keep them open) and the exclusionists (close them). See the problem? Right now, if a question is open, you can only vote to close. If it's closed, you can only vote to reopen.
These so-called "close wars" are a misnomer for people waiting in line for their chance to vote five at a time (5-close, 5-reopen, 5-close, 5-reopen...). Hence the yo yo effect.
A Solution
Once someone votes to close, let everyone vote (close: yes, no). The total votes would be shown, as it is now. If the total votes reaches (-5) or less, the post is closed. If the total votes later reaches (+0) or more, the post is re-opened.
But it's way more likely that a general consensus will quickly be reached without forcing the question through the close-reopen-close-reopen cycle as everyone alternately waits for their turn to vote.
Its an beautiful, simple, elegant solution. So what am I am I missing?
Bonus: The system would no longer have to worry about aging votes (where close-votes eventually expire after a certain period of time). With the +/- votes shown, someone is free to counteract the random close-vote that accumulates over time.