Current Illinois state flag wins overwhelmingly in redesign contest
ILLINOIS (WCIA) — The current Illinois flag overwhelmingly won in a contest to redesign the state's flag.
On Thursday, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced that the current state flag won the contest, following the five-week voting period. Out of almost 385,000 votes, 165,000 (43%) were cast for the current state flag. It also received more votes than the next top five designs combined.
Bill in Illinois statehouse would require standardized emergency plans for schools
In the contest, voters had the option to choose their favorite design from one of the Illinois Flag Commission's top 10 new designs, or one of the three former flags including the current design. The current flag has not had a major redesign over the course of the past century.
'Some may call it an SOB – a seal on a bedsheet – and the vexillogical community may hate it, but people overwhelmingly prefer our current state flag,' Giannoulias said. 'Thank you to everyone who made their voice heard on the future of this important symbol of state pride.'
The Illinois Flag Commission is also preparing a report going through its findings and recommendations to show the General Assembly by April 1. Following this presentation, lawmakers will vote on whether to adopt a new flag, return to a previous version or continue to have the same one.
Sponsored by State Senator Doris Turney (48th District–Springfield) and State Representative Kam Buckner (26th District–Chicago), Senate Bill 1818 was signed into law in 2023 by Governor JB Priztker. This action created the commission that looked into the public's potential want for a new state flag.
The commission then selected its top 10 finalists this past December from the 4,844 entries it received during the six-week submission period, which ended in October.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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