Connection

Connections are links between political subdivisions sufficient to form a district with just those subdivisions. If contiguity is the only form of connection then districts can be formed that leap bodies of water and mountain ranges with no convenient way to travel from one part of the district to another. This definition of connection avoids that type of district.

A political subdivision can be represented by a node that is the political center of that subdivision. For a county the node would be the county office where the elected officials meet. For a city or town the node would be the city or town hall. For a precinct the node would be the polling place.

Two subdivisions are locally connected if there is a continuous path of public roads that allow one to travel between the two nodes without entering any other subdivision. Local connections can include seasonal public roads. A local connection path can be traced over water without a bridge if there is a publicly available ferry that provides part of the connection.

Two subdivisions are regionally connected if there is a continuous path of numbered state or federal highways that allow one to travel between two nodes without entering any other subdivision. If a node is not on a numbered highway, then the connection is measured from the point of the nearest numbered highway to the node. The path may only use roads that are generally available all year. Regularly scheduled year-round ferry service may be included in the path of a regional connection.