It’s time for conservatives to remind Republican Sens. Orrin Hatch and Robert Bennett of Utah that the District of Columbia isn’t a state — and therefore, it doesn’t get a vote in Congress unless the Constitution is amended. It seems pretty elementary, but the duo from Utah are so excited by the prospect of bringing another seat to their state that they’re willing to sell out on fundamental principles.

Let’s review the three reasons Congress’s attempt to give D.C. voting rights is unconstitutional. (My colleague at Heritage, Matt Spalding, does a much better job articulating these points in this YouTube video.)

1) The Constitution says the members of Congress are chosen by the people of several states. States are represented in Congress.

2) The enclave clause that created the District in the first place did just that — create a district for the seat of the federal government, not a state.

3) Finally, the 23rd Amendment gave D.C. electors in presidential elections, but not a vote in Congress.

With the House of Representatives having already passed legislation granting D.C. voting rights, it’s now up to the Senate to put the brakes on the bill. Fortunately, we have Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R.-Ky.) on our side. The White House is also standing firm with a veto threat dangling over the bill.

Conservatives can overcome the loss of Hatch and Bennett — who are likely supporting the bill only because Utah would benefit by picking up a seat. No other Republicans have signed on as co-sponsors yet. We should politely remind all senators of these three constitutional reasons against granting D.C. voting rights.

As Spalding says, “Bottom line, America is a constitutional democracy. That means our desire for democracy just doesn’t override our common agreement to abide by the rule of the Constitution.”