Illinoisans have spoken: Don’t go changing our flag.
The public had a chance to vote for a new flag from one of 12 designs or keep the current one. And after five weeks of voting, the current flag won — and by a lot.
Of the nearly 385,000 votes cast, over 165,000 went to the current flag — receiving more votes than the next five top designs combined. Second place earned 32,898 votes, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced Thursday.
Drum roll please…🥁 After receiving 385,000 votes, we have a DECISIVE winner in the state flag redesign contest! The Illinois Flag Commission will now report the results to the General Assembly who will vote on whether to adopt a new flag or keep the current one. pic.twitter.com/CS3RMesLH6
— Secretary Alexi Giannoulias (@ILSecOfState) March 6, 2025
The redesign contest included 10 new flag designs, two former state flags and the current one.
“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 will now prepare a report based on results of the poll for the General Assembly by April 1. Lawmakers will then vote on whether to keep the current flag, return to a previous version or adopt a new one.
Voters had the option to choose their favorite design from one of the Illinois Flag Commission’s Top 10 new designs, or one of three former flag designs, including the current one, which has not had a major redesign in the past century.
The flag commission was created by the General Assembly to gauge the public’s desire for a new flag. The state flag hasn’t undergone a major redesign in about 100 years, according to the secretary of state’s office.
