I wrote this in 2020 and it remains relevant.
I see a lot of variations of this idea going around: "Voting is like public transportation. If there isn't a bus to your destination, you take the one that's going closest." And I think it's a fascinating metaphor because unlike most it actually improves when you follow it through.
For instance, if you have certain kinds of privilege there probably already is a bus or train going exactly where you want it to go, while many poor and marginalized people have very limited public transportation options in their neighborhoods. And of course if you can afford a car, the bus network may not matter that much to you. In either case, you might not understand what people are going on about when they say there are no good buses; just take the best one available and stop complaining!
On another level: in the short term, you have to take the bus that exists today. But bus routes aren't written in stone, and they can and do change with public pressure. One of the most effective forms of that pressure is a bus boycott, and it may well be worth walking for a few weeks or months to get an improved service that lasts for years.
Voting is like public transportation. If you don't remember that there are people behind the design of the system, that they made their decisions on purpose, and that their minds can be changed, you'll never manage to get anywhere that hasn't been approved beforehand by the powerful.