Section 72-1506 - CRITERIA GOVERNING PLANSCongressional and legislative redistricting plans considered by the commission, and plans adopted by the commission, shall be governed by the following criteria:
(1) The total state population as reported by the U.S. census bureau, and the population of subunits determined therefrom, shall be exclusive permissible data.(2) To the maximum extent possible, districts shall preserve traditional neighborhoods and local communities of interest.(3) Districts shall be substantially equal in population and should seek to comply with all applicable federal standards and statutes.(4) To the maximum extent possible, the plan should avoid drawing districts that are oddly shaped.(5) Division of counties shall be avoided whenever possible. In the event that a county must be divided, the number of such divisions, per county, should be kept to a minimum.(6) To the extent that counties must be divided to create districts, such districts shall be composed of contiguous counties.(7) District boundaries shall retain the local voting precinct boundary lines to the extent those lines comply with the provisions of section 34-306, Idaho Code. When the commission determines, by an affirmative vote of at least five (5) members recorded in its minutes, that it cannot complete its duties for a legislative district by fully complying with the provisions of this subsection, this subsection shall not apply to the commission or legislative redistricting plan it shall adopt.(8) Counties shall not be divided to protect a particular political party or a particular incumbent.(9) When a legislative district contains more than one (1) county or a portion of a county, the counties or portion of a county in the district shall be directly connected by roads and highways which are designated as part of the interstate highway system, the United States highway system or the state highway system. When the commission determines, by an affirmative vote of at least five (5) members recorded in its minutes, that it cannot complete its duties for a legislative district by fully complying with the provisions of this subsection, this subsection shall not apply to the commission or legislative redistricting plan it shall adopt.[72-1506, added 1996, ch. 175, sec. 1, p. 563; am. 2009, ch. 252, sec. 2, p. 771.]