  In the Kogut-Susskind formulation of lattice gauge theories, a set of quantum
numbers resides at the ends of each link to characterize the vertex-local gauge
field. We discuss the role of these quantum numbers in propagating correlations
and supporting entanglement that ensures each vertex remains gauge invariant,
despite time evolution induced by operators with (only) partial access to each
vertex Hilbert space. Applied to recent proposals for eliminating vertex-local
Hilbert spaces in quantum simulation, we describe how the required entanglement
is generated via delocalization of the time evolution operator with
nearest-neighbor controls. These hybridizations, organized with qudits or
qubits, exchange classical operator preprocessing for reductions in quantum
resource requirements that extend throughout the lattice volume.
