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2020 Mississippi flag referendum

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Mississippi Statewide Measure 3
November 3, 2020 (2020-11-03)
Please vote ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ on whether the following design shall be the official Mississippi State Flag
Proposed flag design
Voting systemSimple majority
Results
Choice
 Votes %
Yes 943,918 72.98%
No 349,522 27.02%
Valid votes 1,293,440 97.69%
Invalid or blank votes 30,609 2.31%
Total votes 1,324,049 100.00%
Source: Mississippi Secretary of State
Not to be confused with 2001 Mississippi flag referendum.

The 2020 Mississippi flag referendum was a legislatively referred state statute appearing on the November 3, 2020 general election ballot in Mississippi.

Voters were asked whether the design proposed by the Commission to Redesign the Mississippi State Flag, which does not contain the Confederate battle flag and includes the words "In God We Trust", should be adopted as the new official flag of Mississippi.[1] The referendum passed by a 72.98% to 27.02% margin on November 3, 2020.[2] Voters were not given the option to retain the old, Confederate-based flag.[3]

Background

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Further information: Flag of Mississippi § Early proposals to change the 1894 flag
Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag Official flag (pre-2020)
Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag 2001 flag proposal
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After an earlier redesign proposal had been voted down in the 2001 Mississippi flag referendum and following the adoption of a new state flag by Georgia in 2003, the Mississippi flag remained the only U.S. state flag to include the Confederate battle flag's saltire. In 2001, a survey conducted by the North American Vexillological Association (NAVA) placed Mississippi's flag 22nd in design quality of the 72 Canadian provincial, U.S. state and U.S. territorial flags ranked.[4]

On June 9, 2020 lawmakers gathered votes and started drafting legislation to change the state flag. The action came after weeks of national protests following the murder of George Floyd, including a protest outside the Mississippi Governor's Mansion on June 6.[5] This was the first substantial action to change the state flag since the 2001 referendum. On June 11, Senate Democrats filed a resolution to change the state flag.[6] On June 24, Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann announced his support for a new flag.[7] Hosemann was joined by Attorney General Lynn Fitch, State Auditor Shad White, Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson and Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney.[8]

On June 28, 2020, the Mississippi Legislature passed a bill, House Bill 1796, that would relinquish the state flag, remove the state flag from public buildings within 15 days of the bill's effective date and constitute a nine-member commission to design a new flag that would be put to voters in a referendum to be held in November 2020.[9][10] The bill required that the Confederate battle flag not be included on the proposed design and the motto "In God We Trust" be included,[11] as Georgia did when it removed the Confederate emblem from its state flag in 2003. In the House, the bill was passed by 91 in favor and 23 against.[12] In the Senate, the bill was passed with 37 in favor and 14 against.[13]

Reversing his earlier claimed position that the people, and not "a backroom deal by a bunch of politicians", should make the decision to change the flag,[14] Governor Tate Reeves signed the flag bill into law on June 30, 2020. As the legislation repealed the sections of the Mississippi State Code which made provisions for a state flag, namely Section 3-3-16, Mississippi ceased to have an official state flag at this point.[15][16]

Proposed design

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Commission to Redesign the Mississippi State Flag

[edit]

Under the terms of House Bill 1796, a body known as the Commission to Redesign the Mississippi State Flag was constituted to suggest a design for a new state flag no later than September 14, 2020. The bill instructed the Mississippi Department of Archives and History to develop a plan for the removal of the 1894 flag from public buildings across the state and provide administrative support for the commission.[17] The act stipulated that any design proposed by the commission must include the words "In God We Trust" and must not contain the Confederate battle flag. The commission consisted of nine members, three of which were appointed by the Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives, three members appointed by the Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi, and three by the Governor. Former state Supreme Court Justice Reuben V. Anderson, who serves as president of the Board of Trustees of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, was unanimously elected as the commission's chairman at its first meeting on July 22.[18]

The five semifinalists selected by the commission on August 18, 2020

The proposed design would be subject to a referendum to be held concurrently with the general election on November 3, 2020. Should the referendum result in a "yes" vote for the proposed design, then the design would be officially adopted as the new state flag of Mississippi during the next regular legislative session. Should the referendum result in a "no" vote for the proposed design, the commission would reconvene and propose different designs. The legislation stated that further referendums could then be held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November of a year in which the commission makes a new recommendation until a "yes" vote is achieved. Mississippi would remain without an official state flag until a new one is adopted through this process. Voters were not given the option to retain the previous, Confederate-based flag.[19]

Call for public submissions

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The Mississippi Department of Archives and History invited the public to submit designs for a new state flag on July 13.[17] In accordance with the rules imposed by House Bill 1796, designs would only be accepted if they contained the words "In God We Trust" and not include the Confederate battle flag. The commission also added that suggestions would need to be unique and adhere to principles of the North American Vexillological Association: that the design should use only two or three basic colors, be simple enough for a child to draw, and have meaningful symbolism. Entries were to be submitted by email or by post and be received by the commission by August 13, 2020 to be considered.[20] The deadline was moved to August 1 to allow time for the commission to complete the selection process.[21]

Selection of finalists

[edit]
"Great River Flag"
"The New Magnolia"

More than 2000 submissions (other estimates put this figure at 2800 images, but a few images were erroneously repeated) meeting the legislative criteria were received and displayed on the Mississippi Department of Archives and History website.[22] Each of the 9 commission members picked 25 flags, narrowing the list down to 147.[23]

At an August 14 meeting, the commission announced that they had selected nine proposals. These proposals, depicting various elements including a representation of the Mississippi River, magnolias, and stars composed of diamonds significant to the Choctaw nation, had either red, white, and blue or green and white color schemes. The commission announced that they would narrow these designs down to five finalists at its next meeting on August 18.[24][25] Five semifinalists were published on August 18, and this was reduced to two finalists on August 25.[26][27][28]

The final two flags were the "Great River Flag" designed by Micah Whitson and "The New Magnolia" designed by Rocky Vaughan, Sue Anna Joe, Kara Giles and Dominique Pugh.[29][30][31]

On September 2, the commission voted 8–1 to put the New Magnolia flag on the November ballot. Slight modifications were made to the original design, including making the text bolder and the red and gold bars thicker. The flag is officially referred to as the "In God We Trust Flag".[32] Rocky Vaughan is credited with designing the flag's overall layout, with design support provided by Sue Anna Joe, Kara Giles and Dominique Pugh (who created the magnolia illustration featured in the center).[33] Micah Whitson was also given credit for the appearance of the Native American star.[34]

The referendum passed by a 73% to 27% margin on November 3, 2020.[2] It was then approved by the Mississippi State House of Representatives on January 5, 2021 and passed by the State Senate on January 6, 2021. It was then signed into law by Governor Reeves on January 11, 2021, making the "In God We Trust Flag" the official state flag.[35]

Controversy

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The Satanic Temple has threatened to sue the State of Mississippi if the phrase "In God We Trust" is included on the flag.[36][37][38] Americans United for Separation of Church and State declared the state's actions as trading "a white nationalist symbol for a Christian nationalist one".[39] Both the American Humanist Association and Americans United for Separation of Church and State have published their own editorials in disagreement with the use of the phrase on a new flag.[40][41]

"Let Mississippi Vote" is a group that is campaigning for another referendum on a choice of four flag designs including the Magnolia flag that was adopted in the November 2020 referendum and the version that it replaced. Their aim is to give Mississippians a choice instead of voting on only one flag. The group reached their goal of 5000 volunteers and have sent wording for their referendum to the Mississippi Attorney General's Office for approval. They would have needed the valid signatures of 106,190 Mississippi residents for the initiative to be placed on a ballot as early as 2021.[42][43][44]

Opinion polling

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Polling firm Date For Against Undecided Margin of error Sample
Civiqs October 23–26, 2020 61% 31% 8% ± 5.3% 507

Result

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The new flag flies in front of the Old Vicksburg Courthouse in 2022
Option Votes
Num. %
Yes (adopt new flag) 943,918 71.29
No (do not adopt new flag) 349,522 26.40
Blank/invalid votes 30,609 2.31
Total 1,324,049 100.00
Source: Mississippi Secretary of State

Result by county

[edit]
County Yes No
Votes % Votes %
Adams 10,450 78.3% 2,898 21.7%
Alcorn 8,806 56.8% 6,694 43.2%
Amite 4,171 59.1% 2,889 40.9%
Attala 6,054 69.5% 2,663 30.5%
Benton 2,555 61.5% 1,598 38.5%
Bolivar 11,047 83.3% 2,217 16.7%
Calhoun 4,270 65.6% 2,240 34.4%
Carroll 3,717 66.1% 1,905 33.9%
Chickasaw 5,958 74.2% 2,070 25.8%
Choctaw 2,948 71.1% 1,196 28.9%
Claiborne 3,861 87.3% 564 12.7%
Clarke 5,176 62.8% 3,072 37.2%
Clay 8,035 79.6% 2,053 20.4%
Coahoma 6,867 83.2% 1,385 16.8%
Copiah 9,435 74.2% 3,279 25.8%
Covington 5,901 63.7% 3,364 36.3%
DeSoto 56,232 75.2% 18,519 24.8%
Forrest 22,942 73.2% 8,416 26.8%
Franklin 2,779 63.3% 1,613 36.7%
George 5,281 48.6% 5,583 51.4%
Greene 2,637 46.4% 3,052 53.6%
Grenada 8,053 75.0% 2,687 25.0%
Hancock 13,015 63.0% 7,655 37.0%
Harrison 55,018 74.4% 18,974 25.6%
Hinds 88,643 89.0% 10,907 11.0%
Holmes 6,822 86.9% 1,030 13.1%
Humphreys 3,365 82.8% 701 17.2%
Issaquena 463 71.5% 185 28.5%
Itawamba 6,190 58.0% 4,477 42.0%
Jackson 36,716 68.3% 17,050 31.7%
Jasper 5,847 67.8% 2,778 32.2%
Jefferson 3,332 86.9% 504 13.1%
Jefferson Davis 4,639 76.0% 1,462 24.0%
Jones 17,777 59.8% 11,931 40.2%
Kemper 3,551 76.5% 1,092 23.5%
Lafayette 18,559 80.4% 4,520 19.6%
Lamar 19,140 67.7% 9,132 32.3%
Lauderdale 22,921 74.6% 7,797 25.4%
Lawrence 4,033 61.8% 2,492 38.2%
Leake 6,208 68.4% 2,869 31.6%
Lee 27,263 75.8% 8,720 24.2%
Leflore 9,139 86.0% 1,482 14.0%
Lincoln 10,805 64.9% 5,849 35.1%
Lowndes 21,871 81.2% 5,069 18.8%
Madison 47,116 84.4% 8,683 15.6%
Marion 7,428 61.6% 4,632 38.4%
Marshall 11,061 72.7% 4,158 27.3%
Monroe 11,661 68.3% 5,410 31.7%
Montgomery 3,617 72.3% 1,383 27.7%
Neshoba 7,839 67.8% 3,729 32.2%
Newton 6,554 65.3% 3,481 34.7%
Noxubee 4,378 85.9% 718 14.1%
Oktibbeha 16,592 84.7% 2,990 15.3%
Panola 11,420 74.8% 3,849 25.2%
Pearl River 13,684 58.4% 9,763 41.6%
Perry 2,977 51.1% 2,849 48.9%
Pike 12,952 75.5% 4,193 24.5%
Pontotoc 8,712 61.6% 5,438 38.4%
Prentiss 6,479 61.5% 4,051 38.5%
Quitman 2,477 80.3% 606 19.7%
Rankin 51,249 73.1% 18,866 26.9%
Scott 7,464 70.4% 3,134 29.6%
Sharkey 1,728 82.1% 378 17.9%
Simpson 7,566 64.7% 4,130 35.3%
Smith 4,594 55.6% 3,644 44.4%
Stone 4,772 61.6% 2,973 38.4%
Sunflower 7,753 82.2% 1,679 17.8%
Tallahatchie 4,075 73.1% 1,501 26.9%
Tate 8,627 67.5% 4,150 32.5%
Tippah 5,788 58.6% 4,093 41.4%
Tishomingo 4,782 53.4% 4,177 46.6%
Tunica 2,862 82.9% 592 17.1%
Union 7,804 62.2% 4,738 37.8%
Walthall 4,740 68.2% 2,206 31.8%
Warren 16,022 77.3% 4,692 22.7%
Washington 14,753 83.5% 2,914 16.5%
Wayne 6,077 61.1% 3,866 38.9%
Webster 3,449 64.7% 1,883 35.3%
Wilkinson 2,875 73.3% 1,046 26.7%
Winston 7,043 76.9% 2,111 23.1%
Yalobusha 4,664 72.5% 1,771 27.5%
Yazoo 7,792 76.4% 2,412 23.6%

Source: Mississippi Secretary of State

Voter demographics

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2020 Mississippi flag referendum voter demographics (AP VoteCast)[45]
Demographic subgroup Yes No % of
total vote
Total vote 73 27 100
Ideology
Very liberal 95 5 9
Somewhat liberal 94 6 15
Moderate 73 27 34
Somewhat conservative 83 17 19
Very conservative 63 37 23
Party
Democrats 91 9 35
Republicans 57 43 45
Independents 76 24 20
Gender
Men 75 25 45
Women 71 29 55
Other 87 13 1
Race/ethnicity
White 64 36 62
Black 89 11 35
Latino 79 21 1
Asian 87 13 0
Other 54 46 1
Religion
Protestant 71 29 29
Catholic 87 13 7
Mormon 59 41 1
Other Christian 65 35 32
Jewish 98 2 1
Muslim 96 4 1
Something else 83 17 14
None 74 26 14
Age
18–24 years old 77 23 10
25–29 years old 73 27 9
30–39 years old 77 23 19
40–49 years old 74 26 14
50–64 years old 69 31 25
65 and older 72 28 22
First time voter
Yes 68 32 5
No 73 27 95
Education
High school or less 66 34 40
Some college education or associate degree 73 27 35
Bachelor's degree 83 17 16
Postgraduate degree 86 14 10
Income
Under $25,000 72 28 30
$25,000–$49,999 70 30 29
$50,000–$74,999 75 25 15
$75,000–$99,999 75 25 11
$100,000 or more 78 22 14
Military service
Veteran household 69 31 34
Non-veteran household 79 21 66
Issue regarded as most important
The economy and jobs 66 34 26
Health care 77 23 11
Immigration 36 64 3
Abortion 58 42 4
Law enforcement 68 32 6
Climate change 92 8 2
Foreign policy 68 32 2
The coronavirus pandemic 78 22 34
Racism 84 16 11
Area type
Urban 82 18 10
Suburban 79 21 24
Small town 75 25 32
Rural 64 36 34

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Mississippi Ballot Measure 3, State Flag Referendum (2020)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Siese, April (November 4, 2020). "Mississippi votes in favor of adopting new flag". cbsnews.com. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  3. ^ Pender, Geoff (September 2, 2020). "'In God We Trust' flag will go before Mississippi voters in November". Mississippi Today. On the World Wide Web. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  4. ^ "2001 State/Provincial Flag Survey" (PDF). NAVA.org.
  5. ^ Judin, Nick (June 8, 2020). "Historic Protests for Black Lives Sweep Mississippi Over Weekend". Jackson Free Press. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  6. ^ Harrison, Bobby; Pender, Geoff (June 11, 2020). "Senate Democrats file resolution to change state flag after earlier action by House members". Mississippi Today. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  7. ^ @GanucheauAdam (June 24, 2020). "Breaking: Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann seems to open the door to legislative action on the Mississippi state flag without a popular vote. Big development" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. ^ Skinner, Kayleigh; Pender, Geoff; Harrison, Bobby (June 24, 2020). "As leaders continue to count votes to change state flag, Hosemann throws support behind legislative action". Mississippi Today. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  9. ^ Shammas, Brittany (June 28, 2020). "Mississippi House and Senate vote to remove Confederate icon from state flag". Washington Post.
  10. ^ Budryk, Zack (June 28, 2020). "Mississippi House passes bill to take Confederate symbol off state flag". TheHill. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  11. ^ "HB1796 (As Sent to Governor) – 2020 Regular Session". BillStatus.LS.State.MS.us. State Legislature of Mississippi. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  12. ^ Ramseth, Giacomo Bologna and Luke. "Changing the state flag: How Mississippi legislators made history in 4 hours on a rare Sunday session". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  13. ^ "Video". www.youtube.com. June 28, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  14. ^ Williams, Angela (June 8, 2020). "Governor: Mississippi flag should be changed by the people, not group of politicians". WAPT News. On the World Wide Web. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  15. ^ "Breaking: Governor to retire Mississippi's Confederate-themed flag". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Associated Press. Archived from the original on July 17, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  16. ^ Pettus, Emily Wagster (June 30, 2020). "Governor to retire Mississippi's Confederate-themed flag". Houston Chronicle. Associated Press. Archived from the original on July 28, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  17. ^ a b "State Commission Seeks Flag Design Submissions | Mississippi Department of Archives & History". www.mdah.ms.gov. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  18. ^ Ulmer, Sarah (July 22, 2020). State Flag Commission holds first meeting in Jackson Y'all Politics. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  19. ^ "2020 Regular Session: House Bill 1796" BillStatus.LS.State.MS.us, State Legislature of Mississippi. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  20. ^ Gallant, Jacob (July 13, 2020). "State commission asks for state flag designs". www.wmcactionnews5.com.
  21. ^ "Commission Approves Process of Selecting New Flag, Chooses Meeting Dates | Mississippi Department of Archives & History". www.mdah.ms.gov. May 19, 2024.
  22. ^ "View Submissions for the New Mississippi State Flag | Mississippi Department of Archives & History". www.mdah.ms.gov. May 19, 2024.
  23. ^ Carlisle, Zac (August 10, 2020). "Commission narrows down 147 designs for Mississippi's new state flag". WTVA. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  24. ^ Carlisle, Zac (August 14, 2020). "Magnolias, Mississippi River among elements discussed by flag commission". WTVA. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  25. ^ Pettus, Emily Wagster (August 14, 2020). "Mississippi flag could have Choctaw-inspired diamond shape". Associated Press.
  26. ^ "One of these five designs could become the new Mississippi state flag". Mississippi Today. August 18, 2020.
  27. ^ Farish, Anna (August 25, 2020). "Mississippi flag commission selects final two flag designs". WREG.com. Archived from the original on January 15, 2021. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  28. ^ Carlisle, Zac (August 25, 2020). "Two finalists announced for Mississippi state flag". WTVA. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  29. ^ Corder, Frank (August 13, 2020). "Could the Great River Flag be the odds on favorite for new Mississippi flag?".
  30. ^ "Commission to Redesign the Mississippi State Flag Top Two Finalists | Mississippi Department of Archives & History". www.mdah.ms.gov. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  31. ^ "Great River Flag Design Case Study | Villager Design".
  32. ^ Ulmer, Sarah (September 2, 2020). "Commission selects New Magnolia Flag for voters to consider in November". Mississippi Politics and News - Y'all Politics. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  33. ^ "Mississippi Has Chosen Its New Flag Design. Does It Match Your Pick?". Print Magazine. September 2, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  34. ^ "Mississippi flag: Magnolia could replace old rebel symbol". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on November 4, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  35. ^ Wagster Pettus, Emily (January 11, 2021). "Mississippi governor signs law for flag without rebel emblem". ABC News. Retrieved January 11, 2021 – via Associated Press.
  36. ^ Lienesch, Michael (May 25, 2019). ""In God We Trust:" The U.S. National Motto and the Contested Concept of Civil Religion". Religions. 5 (2019, 10): 340. doi:10.3390/rel10050340.
  37. ^ Stimson, Brie (July 9, 2020). "Mississippi adding 'In God We Trust' to new state flag may prompt Satanic Temple lawsuit". Fox News. Fox News. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  38. ^ Folley, Aris (July 8, 2020). "Satanic Temple plans to sue Mississippi if state puts 'In God We Trust' on flag". The Hill. The Hill. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  39. ^ Jenkins, Jack (July 2, 2020). "Some question replacing Mississippi's Confederate symbol with 'In God We Trust'". Religion News Service. Religion News Service. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  40. ^ Sokol, Samantha (July 2, 2020). "Mississippi Trades Confederate Emblem For 'In God We Trust' On State Flag". Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  41. ^ Bardi, Jennifer (July 8, 2020). "Vexing Vexillology Mississippi axes racist flag, adds divisive motto". The American Humanist Association. The American Humanist Association. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  42. ^ "'Let Mississippi Vote' campaign for state flag ballot referendum". wxxv25.com. WXXV. September 2, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  43. ^ Vance, Taylor (October 11, 2020). "'Mississippi's image is on the ballot' with state flag design referendum". djournal.com. Daily Journal. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  44. ^ "Initiatives – Mississippi Initiative Process". sos.ms.gov. Mississippi Secretary of State. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  45. ^ "AP VoteCast 2020 General Elections". AP-NORC. May 7, 2021.
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