Let's say I have $130k+ in college loans. Would voting for a particular person (or a set of people over the rest of my life) give me $130k+ in direct benefits? Probably not.
The more poignant conclusion here is that our votes are actually worth very little.
Another conclusion is that "values" are more important than money, and we vote to establish values, not to make money.
Additionally it could keep you out of jail.
Could it, though?
Remember, if you’re not in a swing state, your Presidential vote is literallly— not figuratively, literally— worthless. Same goes for your Congressional vote if you’re in one of the increasingly-common gerrymandered districts. And even if that’s not he case, the odds of your vote making a tangible policy difference are remote at best.
Sounds to me like Millenials are making an entirely rational calculation on their votes’ value.
... only in the unlikely event that my vote changes the outcome of an election, and the candidate I voted for would also be able to affect such a big legislative change.
Millenials as a group might be worse off if many traded away their right to vote, but that's not the same thing as saying that individuals benefit in a tangible way from that right.