Removing 10 lives from each will be a bad idea. It will only make it harder to reach the 100 point goal (which is also a bad idea, should be ~60), which means the game will end with 2-3 elements removing 1 from each other till eternity.
I suggest increasing the effect of our votes. Maybe -4 for now. The next time this game runs, I suggest increasing vote increments by half of the number of elements eliminated, rounded down. That way, we will have ± 1 at the start, ±2 when 2 elements are eliminated, ±3 with 4 eliminated, and so on.