Real power doesn't exchange hands at the ballot box. And to think it does is the most laughable a notion. But much investment goes into conditioning (a nicer word than brainwashing) people to subscribe to it.

Some contrarians take this too far and use the framing "Democracy is a lie". But the reality is, it's not necessarily a lie, but rather, it's just largely inconsequential when the brokenness exists at a higher level (the modern nation state itself, its establishment, and both their interconnections with inter and extra national powers). In that reality, the voting process is not a tool for the masses, but rather a tool to distract and contain them.

Consulting people, via voting or any other method, is still desirable of course, but only after that brokenness is taken care of.