Solarpunk

The structure of how elections in almost all of the US are conducted, with a plurality determining the winner, means that there's a huge advantage to choosing to vote for somebody who has a big coalition and whose views are less far from your own than the other big coalition.

Let's look at three examples:

Example 1:

• R: 1000 votes
• D: 1001 votes
• I/non-vote: 0

Democrat wins

Example 2:

• R: 1000 votes
• D: 1000 votes
• I/non-vote: 1

Election is a tie, with the winner decided by flipping a coin or other game of chance

Example 3:

• R: 1000 votes
• D: 999 votes
• I/non-vote: 2

Republican wins

So long as plurality-take-all is how US elections are run, it makes sense for anybody left-of-center to vote for Biden in the general election.

Getting better policies means not just doing that though, but taking active steps to volunteer for and donate to candidates during primaries, as well as seeking out close house and close senate races in the general election to support Democrats, thereby shifting the balance of power slightly to the left.