I agree with Tom Scud that that way might be better. Anyway, I hope there’s an opportunity to “lobby” for some of the nominations before they’ve lost any chance to appear on the Final List of 40.
(Can I start by lobbying for John Brown? Before 1860 the cause of abolition was weak and racist. There’s a very strong case to be made that his martyrdom changed that, inspired the North during the Civil War, preserved the Union, and emancipated the slaves. Without that inspiration, the North would never have had the stomach to complete that horrible War.)
Or how about this compromise: Each voter gets ten votes in the initial round to use as he/she sees fit, but can spend all on the same candidate. For example, if I felt strongly enough, I could cast all 10 votes for John Brown.