MARCH 6, 2025 — Illinois residents have voted to keep their current state flag, rejecting a proposed redesign effort, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.
Of the nearly 385,000 votes cast, more than 165,000 went to the existing design—more than the next five top choices combined.
The public vote, which lasted five weeks, allowed residents to select from 10 new flag designs, two former state flags, or retain the current version.
The second-place design received just 32,898 votes, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced today.
“Some may call it an SOB — a seal on a bedsheet — and the vexillological community may hate it, but people overwhelmingly prefer our current state flag,” Giannoulias said in a statement. “Thank you to everyone who made their voice heard on the future of this important symbol of state pride.”
The Illinois Flag Commission, established under SB1818 to evaluate public interest in a new design, will now compile a report on the poll results for the General Assembly. Lawmakers will make the final decision by April 1, choosing to keep the current flag, return to a past iteration, or adopt a new one.
The contest was launched following an open call for submissions, which resulted in more than 5,000 entries. The commission narrowed the options to 10 finalists alongside the current flag and two historical designs—the 1918 Centennial Flag and the 1968 Sesquicentennial Flag.
Illinois’ current flag features the state’s official seal, says NBC Chicago, adopted in 1869. The flag itself was introduced in 1915, with the state’s name added in 1970.
While it has faced criticism for its traditional “seal on a bedsheet” design, voters ultimately rejected change.
Image: By Matt Turner, CC BY 2.0
