What does the cryptic crossword clue "Sailors talked of stress, refusing to vote (10)" mean?

The definition is "refusing to vote". The wordplay uses a homophone (sounds like). ABS (sailors), then TENTION sounds like [talked of] “tension” (stress). The answer is ABSTENTION.

Sailors talked of stress, refusing to vote (10)

Times Cryptic #28892 | 14 Down | 2024-04-16 flower

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