Yes, this clarification makes sense and more politicians should also make this explicit, as they often end up disappointing voters who think their civic obligations start and end at the ballot box.
A politician who doesn't agitate voters to take direct action in between elections is ultimately one who hopes you really don't pay that much attention to what they are doing. It's always about electioneering or diverting attention elsewhere. It's fine to say voting is merely the bare minimum check on elected officials, as long as you don't encourage anyone to then skip this necessary (albeit preliminary) step.
This clarification is a goal of DSA members. Elected officials should use their position oppositionally and to tell the truth about our system. For example reading government secrets into the public record, telling the public the truth about who is steering various debates in Washington, promoting the nationalization of companies and formation of cooperatives.
Mamdani did do something interesting in this vein recently. When the racists on the right said he couldn't go to a 9/11 memorial, he released documents showing they allowed people to be poisoned in 2001.
A politician who doesn't agitate voters to take direct action in between elections is ultimately one who hopes you really don't pay that much attention to what they are doing. It's always about electioneering or diverting attention elsewhere. It's fine to say voting is merely the bare minimum check on elected officials, as long as you don't encourage anyone to then skip this necessary (albeit preliminary) step.