In regards to the "vote" (which is not a vote), I think more has to do with the "Why should this character become a fighter?" field than anything. Just quickly typing a character's name and saying, "theyd be cool!11" won't necessarily hold much merit, no matter how many times it's submitted. However, if someone takes the time to really explain why the character would work in Smash and/or why they are supporting said character, I think that'll get far more attention. Imagine seeing 150 generic "votes" for Character A but 50 detailed, thought provoking "votes" for Character B.
I don't know, just something I think should be considered. They did add that field for a reason.
Also, and maybe this has been discussed before, but I'd love to see Nintendo actually release a true ballot once the preliminary one finishes. Take the top 10 (give or take) characters that Sakurai would actually consider developing and allow fans to truly vote on them for a month or so and the top 3 would actually become DLC.