Maine seeks flag designs for November ballot referendum

Maine is now accepting designs for a new state flag to be voted on in the November general election.

The secretary of state announced last week that a contest will be held to pick the design that will be on the November ballot. The referendum will allow Maine residents to vote on keeping in place the state’s current flag or replacing it with a new design picked from the contest. Maine’s current flag design features the state seal and a blue background, mimicking many other state flag designs.

“Our flags are flown with pride. They matter. But this duty bestowed upon me by the legislature is not a job I can do alone,” Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said. “That’s why I invite every Mainer to consider submitting a design for the model state flag to the secretary of state for consideration.”

There are certain criteria that must be met in order to submit a flag design: The creator must be a Maine resident and use certain design elements from the state’s original design.

The state’s original flag design, the “Pine Tree Flag” used from 1901 to 1909, mimicked that of the “Appeal to Heaven” flag. The Appeal to Heaven flag has ties to the Revolutionary War but has been scrutinized during a recent controversy involving Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito.

​​“The design must include a blue north star and a green pine tree on a buff background. The design cannot contain any words or any elements other than the green pine tree and the blue north star,” Bellows said. The tree must be in the center with the star placed in the upper corner.

In addition to the star, tree, and background color requirement, there isn’t too much creativity that can be expressed in the design as the guidelines state the flag should be “so simple that a child can draw it from memory” and “can be easily recognizable from a distance.”

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Design submissions are due by July 19 at 5 p.m. The creator of the design must also be willing to grant the rights to the design to the state of Maine.

On the ballot, voters will be asked: “Do you favor making the former state flag, replaced as the official flag of the State in 1909 and commonly known as the Pine Tree Flag, the official flag of the State?”