Tom Bliss,
          Surely votes by "informed" people should not be the criteria by which awards are given. Better it would be if judgement was made on the results of what a group of enthusiasts of all ilk found pleasing to the ear, enhancing the "genre", recognising virtuosity, informative and entertaining. I am not saying the results would be any different but they would reflect the democracy we live in, as you say.
Also whether or not someone opts to drive around the country all the time has nothing to do with it. It is what they offer to the listener and viewer that counts.