Seal Or No Seal? Voting Open In Illinois Flag Design Contest

SPRINGFIELD, IL — Online voting has begun to select the public's pick for a potential new Illinois state flag. Internet users from around the world can vote once per day per IP address through Feb. 14 in a poll on the Illinois Secretary of State's website, the results of which will be reported to state lawmakers in the spring.

Participants can choose between 10 designs selected by the appointed Illinois Flag Commission, the 1918 centennial flag, the 1968 sesquicentennial flag or keeping the current state flag — consisting of the state seal on a white background with "ILLINOIS" emblazoned along the bottom.

“Now is the time to make your voice heard and I encourage folks to join the process by voting for the flag that they feel best represents our great state,” Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias said in a statement.

“The public feedback received during this period will help guide the General Assembly’s final decision on the future of our state’s flag later this year," Giannoulias said.

While acknowledging the advisory nature of the online poll, Giannoulias's representatives pledged that lawmakers will actually hold a binding vote to either keep the current flag or adopt a new design.

Vote Online: Select Your Pick For New State Flag Or Stick With The Same One Through Feb. 14

As Illinois Patch previously reported, the Illinois Flag Commission was originally required by law to meet by September 2023. It missed that deadline, so lawmakers amended the law to push it back. The appointed commission also failed to convene by the extended deadline, but its members did eventually meet three times.

It accepted submissions for six weeks ending last October and received more than 4,800 submissions — although records obtained by Patch revealed that total included a significant number of duplicate and joke responses.

The public reception to the commission's selection for top 10 flags was mixed, with many observers questioning whether they were really the best options.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who retains veto power over any legislative move to run a new banner up Illinois flagpoles, said last month that he likes both the current flag and the new designs.

“Don’t want to sound too political about that, but I mean I think a lot of effort was put in," Pritzker said. "I am glad, though, that we’re at least considering all the options here and what we end up with will be a choice that the public makes."

But in fact, only a dozen options are up for consideration and it is far from certain that the General Assembly will adopt "a choice that the public makes."

Giannoulias's office has not provided any way for people who do not have access to the internet to participate in the process.

Internet users can participate in the online poll through Valentine's Day, and flag commissioners are scheduled to report its results and make recommendations to legislators by April Fool's Day.

Earlier:

• Questionable Crests, Cutting Room Classics Found Among Unreleased Illinois Flag Designs
• Flagged For Review: Illinois Flag Commission Picks Finalists In Design Contest
• Illinois Flag Design Contest Opens For Submissions To Replace 'Seal On A Bedsheet'