If you believe, for even a moment, that the government is accountable to the public, consider the extreme scenario where nobody votes at all. Nobody shows up at the voter booths, and nobody casts a ballot for president, or senator, or governor, or the state Senate, or city council, or attorney general.

From a logical perspective, this would be an indication of public belief that the government is illegitimate. And logically, the government should, at that point, be dissolved.

But this isn't what would happen at all. Instead, politicians would (and they have this as a work-around already baked into the system) elect representatives themselves.

They would hold special elections and try to coax people into legitimizing their elections again. And if that failed, they would hold internal votes and appoint people to the positions. That's it.

Your vote isn't needed, and only serves to legitimize this farce.