Illinois opens up a vote for citizens to decide on a potential state flag redesign until Feb. 14.

A contest to redesign the Illinois state flag received nearly 5000 entries from participants all over the state of Illinois. They now have selected ten options for the public to vote on, the vote will happen on Feb. 14.

The vote is more an advisory question, according to Illinois senator Terri Bryant. The outcome of the vote will likely be put in a final report made by the Illinois Flag Commission where they will then submit that to the General Assembly where they hopefully make the final decision.

For participants, there was a set of guidelines to follow when designing their flags such as not including the state seal, not too many colors, truly representing Illinois as a whole, being easily recognizable, etc.

With how many submissions were received, it was surprising to Bryant that were many people who wanted to get involved.

“I was surprised with how many submissions we received,” says Bryant. “Four states over the last few years however have experienced quite a bit of controversy when proposing a state flag change.”

However, despite the benefits, Bryant thinks this process may not be where the priorities should lie or an ethically responsible decision to enforce.

“I think we’re in a place right now in Illinois with a $3.2 billion deficit,” says Bryant, “where we may need to look at what are our desires right now and decide what is more important.”

“It’s gonna be a tremendous amount of money at a time of physical crisis in Illinois,” says Bryant. “There’s a lot of pushback from people asking why we would do this right now when we don’t have enough money to fund prisons, developmentally disabled … or veterans programs.”

There is going to be controversy no matter what the decision is according to Bryant, so she doesn’t see why we would need to change the flag at this time considering the expenses.

“The majority of people in my district don’t want to change the flag,” Bryant says. “They like the flag as we have it as it can be costly to mandate this. Even if you give them time to phase it in, it would require changing it at every state facility like prison mental health facilities, public aid, etc.”

Barbara Drufke, Art Instructor here at MCHS says this flag design however can be a great opportunity for people to express their creativity in a patriotic way.

“Illinois’ state flag contest lets people showcase their creativity, engage in civic activities, and contribute to a new state symbol,” says Drufke. “It’s a chance to express state pride, learn about Illinois’ history, and take part in the democratic process by voting for the winner.”

Periodically revisiting the state flag is important, says Drufke, just to ensure the imagery still encapsulates a relevant picture of Illinois’ diverse culture and find an option that more accurately represents the unique identity of the state.

However, not everybody may be as committed to the actual possibility of a flag change.

“It’s inevitable that some participants didn’t take the process seriously,” says Drufke. “ … I appreciate that applicants were required to submit not only their design but also their connection to Illinois and the meaning behind their flag. This added layer of scrutiny helps filter out those who weren’t fully committed to the competition.”