  The generalization argument here is a variant of the fallacy of composition and it is logically specious in its presumed implication. Yet many people assert such an argument in collective action contexts, and they may very well be motivated by the apparent moral authority of the argument. An alternative question here would be something like: “What if everybody failed to take into account the effect of their own vote on the election?” The answer is that roughly half of Americans may well fail to take into account the effect of their own votes on elections, and they vote. The rest ride free.