Doug, as a reader of GOLFWEEK you can certainly contact Brad to suggest that some worthy courses be placed on the ballot for consideration. He will check with his contacts to verify legitimacy and assuming they pass (which is likely) they will be on a list with a "priority" designation.
The magazine's panelists will then make an effort to see them.
I know you don't believe it, Doug, but the process is inclusive, not exclusive.
I have nominated courses that I felt were overlooked and they subsequently were added to the ballot. Please note that only the top 7% of all courses in the country are ballot-worthy, so a course can be well above average and still not be on the list. The goal is to identify America's Best, not America's "Pretty Good" or "Better Than Average".
This isn't like sausage and politics. There's no problem seeing the rankings made. I remember Brad was keen on adding panelists in very remote parts of the country since new courses are being added in areas like Western Colorado, Wyoming, and Idaho. The panel does a very good job representing average avid golfers. He saw an opportunity for improvement and addressed it.
You're very wrong to allege that all panel members are only interested in free rounds at top-tier courses. My recent visits have specifically sought out daily-fee options in areas I've visited and I also ponied up $211 for a golf course that is not as good as other courses in that market charging one-fifth that amount. I know, I've played those too.
How many panel members have you played with? Your experiences don't mirror mine. I'm sorry you haven't seen the good apples in the bunch.