Remove downvotes. Unironically, its a good idea. Requires people to actually engage with something if they disagree rather than just downvote and move on. Gets people talking & raises user engagement. Will be an uptick in shitflinging for a short while till all the assholes out themselves, get banned, and site culture improves from that alone.
Easiest things is to wash/disinfect the surface before you carve, like give the pumpkin a nice bleachwater bath. Use clean tools & seal the cut edges with petrolium jelly or WD-40.
Long-term you probably could dry it as a gourd to preserve it, but it’ll shrivel up a lot and look like shit.
Formaldehyde/pickling would also probably work, but i imagine it’d get all mushy.