I am really puzzled about the voting for the next daily free design. Why would so many people vote for the fish when it is already free right now? Also I see a lot of free designs repeated.

beeboomer, the same freebie might reappear because a lot of people missed it the first time, or they might be new to *Cute* so weren't here the last time. You can vote for any of the votable designs, which means that if you miss a freebie you can vote for its return. Here's a flower for you and good to see you here.

There may be a number of reasons why people vote for a design that's free that day. 1. Non-native speakers may be confused and think they vote for the quality or the attraction of the design, not for it to become a freebie. 2. There may be some difficulty in living in different time zones.
The repeats might be a way to give free designs without giving all of them away. The designer has to make a living too and hopes people get interested enough to buy single designs at a very reasonable price or buy a membership. And that's a real bargain, everything free during 6 months, costs you less than a cent per design if you would download them all.