SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Well, it looks like we’re sticking with what we’ve got.
Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias says the current Illinois state flag was the overwhelming winner in the state’s Flag Redesign Contest.
The announcement follows five weeks of voting to potentially redesign Illinois’ flag.
Voters had the option to choose their favorite design from 10 designs, or one of three former flag designs, including the current one, which has remained pretty much unchanged for about 100 years.
Of the nearly 385,000 votes received, Giannoulias says over 165,000, or 43-percent of the vote, went to keep Illinois’ current state flag.
Senate Bill 1818, sponsored by State Senator Doris Turner and State Representative Kam Buckner, was signed by Gov. J-B Pritzker in 2023, creating a commission to gauge public interest in creating a new state flag. The commission selected its Top 10 finalists in December from over 4,800 entries it received during a six-week submission period that closed in October.
To take a look at the designs that were part of the Top 10, click HERE.
