On Voting

National elections are coming. They have always struck me as curious examples of human irrationality. Voting is irrational. My vote will never make a difference as it is one against amidst millions. Please don’t trot out the few hoary examples of tied elections. Those cases are exceptionally rare. If the election were that statistically close we all know that judges and lawyers would determine the outcome.
So why do I vote? I vote because the church counsels it. We are counseled to consider the issues and pick what seems to be the best candidate. It seems that voting begins to be rational in these circumstances. The views of the church will then hold some weight with those seeking office in the land. Things important to the members of the church will only be defeated electorally speaking if other groups are pushing against them.
Voting is an individual action that benefits the group and then only if the group does it collectively. To vote then is similar to a soldier going to war (without risk and much less commitment) as it benefits the group primarily and the individual secondarily. The thing to do then is to not only vote but persuade your neighbors, family and friends to do the same. The group would presumably use its usual (social) methods to reward leaders/followers and punish non-compliance.
The implications of that in a multicultural society, where group identity is important yet increasingly more balkanized, is interesting.