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I think that people do have power over their lives and the ability to make choices that have weight. The kind of choice that Kingsolver writes about is actually about instinct: we do not have power over our biological choices. For example, we don't have power about who we fall in love with, because attraction is based on unconscious forces, namely pheromones--sex attractants that we cannot smell, but others pick up on and are then attracted to us.

However, we do have the power over where we live (mostly), and what kinds of people we meet, so in a way, we do have power over who our friends and lovers are.

And as far as elections are concerned, I strongly disagree with people who say their vote doesn't count. Of course it does! Its not like there are billions of people in America voting, so every vote does count if you consider all the people who came out to vote in this election and caused something like 99% voter turnout in some counties (like Montgomery and Bucks County) that ultimately helped win the state of Philadelphia and secure the win for Barack Obama.