Forty-two Senate Republicans blocked a bill yesterday that would have given residents of Washington, D.C., a vote in Congress. The measure was a political compromise that rewarded both Republicans and Democrats with an extra seat in the U.S. House. Unfortunately, it ran afoul of the Constitution.

My colleague Nat Ward, a lifelong D.C. resident, explains in this paper why the bill is unconstitutional. There are sound alternatives, however, and Nat spells out six of them. They range from granting D.C. statehood to using the amendment process pursue voting rights. The sad fact is that politicians in D.C. want to take the easy route.