OCTOBER 8, 2024 — Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias is urging the public to take advantage of the remaining time to submit their designs for the state flag ahead of the October 18 deadline.
Illinois is in the midst of an initiative to revamp its state flag. According to WAND, the Illinois Flag Commission is poised to select ten new designs from the pool of entries, which has already exceeded 1,650 submissions. Following the selection, the public will have the opportunity to vote for their preferred design, choosing from the ten new options as well as three historical designs, including the current flag, the 1918 Centennial Flag, and the 1968 Sesquicentennial Flag.
This redesign effort stems from Senate Bill 1818, which was enacted in 2023 with the backing of State Senator Doris Turner and State Representative Kam Buckner.“After more than 100 years of the same design, I think it’s time to rework it,” said Senator Turner in Springfield.
According to the website of the Illinois Flag Commission, the initiative aims to reflect the rich diversity of Illinois’ urban, suburban, and rural communities while fostering a renewed sense of state pride among residents. Designs submitted for consideration must not be generated by artificial intelligence.
Illinois, which joined the Union in 1818, did not adopt an official state flag until nearly a century later, with the first design being established in 1915. A second design was adopted in 1969, which retained the original elements while adding the word “Illinois.”
Image: By Matt Turner, CC BY 2.0
