Symbols are important. Among the symbols that have cause some significant controversy in recent years are those state flags that incorporated the Confederate battle flag, finally eliminated a few years ago. While not perhaps as controversial, Utah and most likely Minnesota will be getting new flags this year while the voters of Maine will decide whether to keep the current flag or go back to an older version. In all three of these cases the flag to be replaced is one of the hideous “seal on a bedsheet” variety, so that is to the good.
Utah’s new flag was approved by the state legislature last March and will become effective March 9, 2024.
In Minnesota a special commission selected a new design on December 19, 2023. It will become the new state flag on May 11, 2024, unless the legislature vetoes it.
In November the voters of Maine will decide whether to keep the current flag or go back to a version of the flag that was replaced in 1909.
Illinois has approved legislation creating a flag commission to consider the design of a new flag.
In my view all of the flags to be replaced fail several aspects of good flag design. They are overly complicated, difficult to distinguish when actually flying, and contains words and/or numbers.
Jay Bohn
January 1, 2024