So votekick >abuse< is practically allowed?

[NyarukoW]

Are there situations when vote kick is warranted? Absolutely.

However, the lesser of two evils would be to remove the function and just use vote abandon.....

That is not correct. The lesser of two evils is the status quo where players need to actively report vote kick abuse. The vote abandon would concede too much to the trolls who wants to either go AFK or force wipes on purpose. Vote abandon in those cases will be a win for them.