Robert,

How could you possibly believe that the number of people voting fot OTY would go up substantially if you were able to vote without having to nominate an entry? Only approximately 600 members voted for the Board of Directors in the most recent election and there was a lot more information available to the general membership on who was running for the various positions than is usually available for the OTY candidates.
I think you are attempting to make a problem where none actually exists. Someone with as much access to information as you have really has no reason to feel left out of the process unless you choose to not participate.