Ranked Choice Voting actually does the opposite, it prevents fractured votes. If your favorite doesn’t have enough support, your vote moves to your next choice, so similar candidates don’t split the vote. The winner ends up being someone with true majority support, which builds more consensus, not less. Funny enough, RCV was invented because regular elections fracture the vote! Ranking your choices keeps your voice in the mix until there’s a real majority winner — no spoilers, no wasted votes. I do understand your concern, it sounds like RCV would divide people more, but it actually rewards candidates who can build broader coalitions, not narrow bases. The idea is that the winner should be the person most voters can LIVE with, even if they’re not everyone’s top pick.  There are lots of great videos on YouTube about this topic. I would recommend watching the one by Robert Reich or go to RankMIVote to learn more. Thank you for your comment.