The phrase "democratic deficit" is somewhat of a wonky term usually only used in the world of political science nerds. But its basic meaning is simple: it is the situation that comes about when a government does not have much input from its citizens.

Obviously, no level of government in the United States can be labelled "undemocratic," but in the context of the expectations that Americans have for their representative governments, the situation in Virginia is somewhat concerning.

Not a day goes by that Americans don’t use the Internet. We trust the Internet with our credit card information, to manage our stock options, to share highly sensitive information across international borders, to send personal photos and information to loved ones. We even relinquish the fate of our love lives into the hands of the Internet, relying on online algorithms to find us our soulmate. 

But voting? That's a different story.

Tax reform is, on the surface, an area where virtually every presidential candidate (and lawmaker, for that matter) can agree: it is too complex, too riddled with loopholes, and desperately needs reform. Slightly more specifically, they still agree it needs to be simpler, and fairer.

Beyond that, however, the tricks and techniques they all suggest using to do right by America’s taxpayers vary widely — and not exclusively along party lines.

On Thursday, the U.S. Senate confirmed Loretta Lynch as the next U.S. attorney general in a 56-43 vote. The confirmation is historic as Lynch will be the first African-American woman to serve as America's chief law enforcement official.

The Hill reported Thursday on how the senators voted and possibly why: