Or if you have kids in school/college, family/friends/colleagues burdened by the health system, stuck in immigration limbo, who can't afford housing, kids who w

Or if you have kids in school/college, family/friends/colleagues burdened by the health system, stuck in immigration limbo, who can't afford housing, kids who want to live above 40 or not get shot at in school, etc :) It's actually pretty easy to change things. A few think-tanks actively invest in propagating this idea that it's impossible to change things, because lower voter turnout works better for them. Local elections have even lower turnout, therefore giving a lot of power to those who can participate in the process. Sure, federal politics are further away. If you feel alienated by that, start by your municipal politics, attend counsel meetings, join a local political party and their meetings (their nomination process might only have 20-50 people actually picking your next candidate). I'm in Canada, which is a bit different, but I have participated in a lawsuit against our provincial government (regarding software purchases) and presented myself as a candidate in municipal elections. And trust me, I have little background for that, but it helped me get better acquainted in the processes and I'm pretty happy on how it nudged a few things forward.