“The slavish copying of one person’s actions by another; as, party members who vote in lock-step with the leadership.” Voting can indicate that control is extreme. Normally, in an assembly the size of congress, some of those voting will have personal views that differ. Lock-step Voting can infer that valuable promises have been made to Oligarchs who will punish violations.
Our Founders' Warning: “Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves are its only safe depositories.” (Thomas Jefferson)