SPRINGFIELD (WGEM) – Illinois may soon get a new flag and you could be the one to design it.
The Illinois Secretary of State’s Office opened the new flag design submission portal Tuesday allowing anyone to send their ideas to the Illinois Flag Commission.
For more than a century, Illinois has had essentially the same flag, the state seal on a white background. Adopted in 1915, the only major change came in 1969 when the state’s name was added to the bottom of the flag.
“The seal represents the government, and I believe that the flag should be a symbol that represents the people,” said state Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield.
Turner sponsored the 2023 legislation starting the process for creating a new flag. She’s also a member of the Flag Commission.
“History is living, breathing and ever evolving, and I think we need to ensure that government is also evolving with the times,” she said.
People can submit proposals online or through the mail to the Flag Commission by Oct. 18. Commission members will then select 10 finalists by the end of 2024. The public will be able to vote for their favorite of the 10 or to keep the current flag beginning Jan. 1, 2025. If the voters choose a new design, state lawmakers will have to pass legislation making it Illinois’ new flag.
Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias said the process is not only a chance to create a new flag, but the opportunity to bring Illinois history back into the classroom.
“The flag is sort of a Trojan horse into the classroom, right. It’s an opportunity for teachers and administrations and us, as elected officials, to talk about what Illinois stands for, what it has stood for and its potential in the future,” said Giannoulias, a Democrat.
“This was a great opportunity to foster that pride in Illinois, get young kids to start doing research about the state and really looking at the diversity and everything that it has to offer and what it’s all about,” Turner said.
She said the commission hopes to make a recommendation to lawmakers by April 1, 2025, with legislators voting on a proposed new flag by June 30, 2025.
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Publish date : 2024-09-05 12:54:00
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