Voting in party primaries and advocating for change within parties, given the state of affairs in US politics, is a better bet for effective change than maintaining a stance of moral purity.
And when it comes to the "civic duty" level of participation there's honestly not much that to do. You'll know pretty quick whether you're part of the red, blue, or grey tribe so you can just vote by color and then look up what the local ballot initiatives are and vote on the ones that you have an informed opinion on. With this strategy you're the political equivalent of an index fund investor but you're role is still important since modern politics is a game of taking territory.
Granted there is local politics, which I occasionally vote in, but more often than not I am not sufficiently informed in local politics to make an informed decision. If I don't feel I can make an informed decision, why should I vote? My input, if anything, would only add more noise to the process. That doesn't seem productive. I think, when aware of my own ignorance, abstaining from the voting process is the responsible choice.
The will to vote should follow naturally from an understanding of the democratic process and its fundamental implications on society, and the availability of information that can serve as the basis of informed opinions on the subjects of policies. This needs to be promoted for a democratic society to function, and the idea that you must vote regardless needs to die. You should vote, but IMO only as a consequence of giving a damn.
As far as colored tribes go, consider the policies they agree on and evaluate whether they benefit society or not. Reducing political opinion to a matter of "tribes" creates all sorts of room for corruption and socially destructive changes that benefit the ruling class more than its constituents.
Largely speaking pretty much everyone sponsored by a major party is plenty qualified on paper, and candidates tow the party line so close that you don't really need to know all that much to make a decision. Don't get me wrong, it sucks that parties have such a stranglehold on people that people who I'm sure have plenty of complex nuanced opinions are reduced to a color but my distaste for that doesn't change the reality of how they will vote.
First of all, I don't think that forms a very good argument for the idea that "everyone should vote".
Second, that's the best case scenario. The worst case scenario is that you are completely ignorant but harbor misconceptions that make you susceptible to useless or destructive populism, which creates an incentive for opportunist politicians to base their outward facing platforms on that, allowing them to not so clearly and visibly create real opportunities only for themselves.
> But most people aren't completely ignorant, and the return on going deeper in the political process isn't that great if all you're trying to do is decide how to fill out your ballot.
The problem of how to fill out your ballot is not removed from its consequences. If all you want to do is put a name on a ballot, again, please refrain from voting. If you are at all concerned with what your choice entails other than having filled out the ballot, I sincerely believe that you owe it to yourself and everyone else to be informed and to inform.
The idea that politics isn't for everyone (but that voting somehow is) scares me. That politics might not being your "thing" is only true of hermits that have effectively removed themselves from society. For everyone else, it is your thing. What might not be your thing is caring about it, which I think is sad for the same reason someone not caring about their health is.
I don't see why this would necessarily be true. Unaligned votes decide elections, while deeply partisan groups can generally be assumed safe and disregarded. Turnout boosting is a thing, but not generally through policy concessions. Turnout operations are much more about rallying people who already agree with you.
I might be wrong, but my strong hunch is that if you have an hour to spend, volunteering at a party call center is going to pale in comparison to just writing a carefully worded letter to your representative on a specific issue you care about.