llinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias said on Thursday that after five weeks and nearly 385,000 votes, more than 165,000 (43%) were cast for the existing flag.
That total was larger than the next five candidate flags combined.
“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 gave voters 13 choices, which included 10 new designs, the centennial, sesquicentennial and current flag.
The online vote results are non-binding. The Illinois General Assembly will have the choice to adopt a new flag or keep the old one. The Flag Commission will inform the assembly of the voting results and make their recommendation in a final report by April 1.
Illinois became a state in 1818, but did not have a flag until 1915, when a contest sponsored by the Daughters of the American Revolution offered a $25 prize for the best design.
The first flag did not have the word "Illinois" on it, until 1969 at the suggestion of a soldier in Viet Nam who wrote to his state representative.
On the Net:
Voting results in story on KFVS.com
