Can a district include a part of a county that has no people..

[Mr.Phips]

Even though a voting precinct may technically cover that area?  I'm wondering if a legislature wanted to connect two areas by uninhabited woods or a highway but didn't want the areas on either side of this area with no people, could they do it?  I know the 2000s version of FL-22 was so thin at some points along the Atlantic that it was connected only by a beach or sandpit without including the liberal condos in front of them.

Could a legislature just draw an inch thick line along the border of a state and then have it jut out to pick up areas that it wanted in that district?

[Lachi]

Technically yes, but realistically you'd have to be literally insane to do it.

[muon2]

The northern and southern parts of IL-04 (the earmuff district) are linked by highway rights of ways and cemeteries.



The version from the previous decade used even more unpopulated connections, including railyards and forest preserves.

[I’m not Stu]

Technically yes, but realistically you'd have to be literally insane to do it.

Yes. That is the case with CA-48. A small part of Irvine that has no residents is in CA-48. If you look at this map and hover over Irvine in this CA-45 map, a very tiny piece of land in Irvine (where nobody lives) is in CA-48. Even though all of Irvine's residents live in CA-45, not all of Irvine is in CA-45.

[DINGO Joe]

I'm pretty sure Louisiana does it with districts that run along the coast/swamps

[jimrtex]

Even though a voting precinct may technically cover that area?  I'm wondering if a legislature wanted to connect two areas by uninhabited woods or a highway but didn't want the areas on either side of this area with no people, could they do it?  I know the 2000s version of FL-22 was so thin at some points along the Atlantic that it was connected only by a beach or sandpit without including the liberal condos in front of them.

Could a legislature just draw an inch thick line along the border of a state and then have it jut out to pick up areas that it wanted in that district?

Almost all of the human population is in the three isolated prongs on the eastern edge of the district, while it mostly alligators in the areas in the big area to the west. It actually measures as fairly compact if comparing area to perimeter.



There are no bridges a across Tampa Bay to connect the areas in Tampa and St.Petersburg. It does comply with one manatee, one vote.



This actually has four whole counties, it only splits candidates where necessary to avoid populated areas. Notice the district enters Tallahassee from the west, and Jacsonville to he south, but it follows that nice straight line along the Georgia border.

Topologically it is feasible to lay out districts like tree rings, a millimeter thick around the outer edge of the state, with the entire population interior to the innermost ring.

You can then choose land islands that you want in the outermost district (none actually have to be on the outer boundary) and connect them to the outer millimeter-wide ring with millimeter-wide threads. The inner-rings are wrapped around the islands and the connecting thread.

[jimrtex]

The northern and southern parts of IL-04 (the earmuff district) are linked by highway rights of ways and cemeteries.



The version from the previous decade used even more unpopulated connections, including railyards and forest preserves.

I bet you could reverse the district and connect the two parts with Lake Michigan and still wrap around WA-7. You can also include part of Waukegan in the district.

[Torie]

Technically yes, but realistically you'd have to be literally insane to do it.

Yes. That is the case with CA-48. A small part of Irvine that has no residents is in CA-48. If you look at this map and hover over Irvine in this CA-45 map, a very tiny piece of land in Irvine (where nobody lives) is in CA-48. Even though all of Irvine's residents live in CA-45, not all of Irvine is in CA-45.

I suspect that is a mapping error. It would make no sense to include unpopulated land in Irvine in another CD that is not needed to make a CD contiguous. I happen to know the guy on the commission that drew CA-48 (the rest of the commission deferred to him on this one, to throw the otherwise disgruntled chap a bone), so I may draw this to his attention. This came up, because I told him I like the design of CA-48 (my CD at the time), and he proceeded to claim credit for it.

[muon2]

The northern and southern parts of IL-04 (the earmuff district) are linked by highway rights of ways and cemeteries.



The version from the previous decade used even more unpopulated connections, including railyards and forest preserves.

I bet you could reverse the district and connect the two parts with Lake Michigan and still wrap around WA-7. You can also include part of Waukegan in the district.

To my knowledge Lake Michigan has never been used as a bridge between otherwise discontiguous parts of a district. I don't recall it from statute, so maybe there is some old case that established the prohibition.

[I’m not Stu]

Technically yes, but realistically you'd have to be literally insane to do it.

Yes. That is the case with CA-48. A small part of Irvine that has no residents is in CA-48. If you look at this map and hover over Irvine in this CA-45 map, a very tiny piece of land in Irvine (where nobody lives) is in CA-48. Even though all of Irvine's residents live in CA-45, not all of Irvine is in CA-45.

I suspect that is a mapping error. It would make no sense to include unpopulated land in Irvine in another CD that is not needed to make a CD contiguous. I happen to know the guy on the commission that drew CA-48 (the rest of the commission deferred to him on this one, to throw the otherwise disgruntled chap a bone), so I may draw this to his attention. This came up, because I told him I like the design of CA-48 (my CD at the time), and he proceeded to claim credit for it.

Another map of CA-48 also shows the end of the street Canyon Retreat in Irvine inside CA-48. The map doesn't make sense, but it still seems to be the case.

[Fuzzy Bear]

Even though a voting precinct may technically cover that area?  I'm wondering if a legislature wanted to connect two areas by uninhabited woods or a highway but didn't want the areas on either side of this area with no people, could they do it?  I know the 2000s version of FL-22 was so thin at some points along the Atlantic that it was connected only by a beach or sandpit without including the liberal condos in front of them.

Could a legislature just draw an inch thick line along the border of a state and then have it jut out to pick up areas that it wanted in that district?

Almost all of the human population is in the three isolated prongs on the eastern edge of the district, while it mostly alligators in the areas in the big area to the west. It actually measures as fairly compact if comparing area to perimeter.



There are no bridges a across Tampa Bay to connect the areas in Tampa and St.Petersburg. It does comply with one manatee, one vote.



This actually has four whole counties, it only splits candidates where necessary to avoid populated areas. Notice the district enters Tallahassee from the west, and Jacsonville to he south, but it follows that nice straight line along the Georgia border.

Topologically it is feasible to lay out districts like tree rings, a millimeter thick around the outer edge of the state, with the entire population interior to the innermost ring.

You can then choose land islands that you want in the outermost district (none actually have to be on the outer boundary) and connect them to the outer millimeter-wide ring with millimeter-wide threads. The inner-rings are wrapped around the islands and the connecting thread.

The districts you cite in Florida were created in 1992 to accomodate court decisions that mandated that Southern States create districts that were 65% black in order to ensure black representation in Congress and in state legislatures.

The Congressional District in question once ran in a horseshoe shape, connecting black neighborhoods in Jacksonville, Daytona Beach, Orlando, Gainesville, and Ocala.  Population growth, and minority population growth over the years has made this district far more regular in shape than it is now.

The 20th CD keeps Alcee Hastings employed.  A more regularly shaped district might result in Hastings not being elected, but might result in more Democrats in Congress at the expense of Rep. Tom Rooney (R).

[pbrower2a]

Michigan's First Congressional District (mostly the Upper Peninsula but also the northernmost tier of the Lower Peninsula) includes some uninhabited islands, especially Isle Royale National Park. There is no reasonable way to put those uninhabited islands (the National Park is closed in the winter and has  no permanent population aside from its wildlife) in any other district.

Oddity: dogs are not allowed there, as there is a transitory wild wolf population and the Park Service does not want tame wolves (dogs really are wolves) mating with wild ones. Isle Royale is one of the few places where Man is the undisputed top predator when there, as dogs are just above us in the food chain. If you think we are the top of the food chain, let me discuss my encounter with four large dogs (forget the breed-- Dobermans or Rottweilers?) I was doing Census work, those dogs  charged the door because the home's owners weren't there. Four 100-pound dogs might as well be one 400-pound tiger in view of their power, strength, agility, speed, bite force, and sharp claws and teeth. I was scared that the latch would break on the door.     

[jimrtex]

If you think we are the top of the food chain, let me discuss my encounter with four large dogs (forget the breed-- Dobermans or Rottweilers?) I was doing Census work, those dogs  charged the door because the home's owners weren't there. Four 100-pound dogs might as well be one 400-pound    

Enumerator writes: "Inhabitants informed me no persons living at this residence. The house has gone to the dogs."

[DabbingSanta]

A lot of these districts are proof we need all fifty states redrawn without race or partisan identity as a factor. FiveThirtyEight has a great project on redistricting and how it would work. I'd favor the making districts compact while following county borders option.

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/redistricting-maps/

[muon2]

A lot of these districts are proof we need all fifty states redrawn without race or partisan identity as a factor. FiveThirtyEight has a great project on redistricting and how it would work. I'd favor the making districts compact while following county borders option.

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/redistricting-maps/

I generally agree and the muon rules are basically designed to favor compact districts that follow county borders. I differ from 538 in that I am quite a bit more specific about how and when to chop a county when needed, and I use driving patterns as a measure of compactness rather than pure geometry. Redrawing without any regard to race could run afoul of the Voting Rights Act, as unintentional discriminatory effect is also prohibited.