When you put it that way, I don't think I understand your point. When you vote you actually don't pay anything. And if you have a nonzero chance of affecting p

When you put it that way, I don't think I understand your point. When you vote you actually don't pay anything. And if you have a nonzero chance of affecting policy with your vote, your vote definitionally matters. We're in agreement on this. We can quarrel about the normative of whether or not there's a marginal cost that outweighs the benefits of voting, but it's functionally free and materially meaningful.