2. Preferential voting...Of course, none of this
    will actually happen.

Why not? There's a ranked choice ballot initiative here in Seattle working to collect signatures to put this on a future ballot. No reason to think this won't succeed, or that it cannot be replicated across the country. Instead of cynical disengagement, why not call up your city council members or state legislators and start demanding that they go to work on this? Or, even better, start organizing a ballot initiative to force the issue?

https://fairvotewa.org