AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) 鈥 Mainers are going to decide in November whether to adopt a new flag, but the state needs to settle on a design first.
Anyone can submit a design proposal as long as it's based on the state's original flag, which featured a simple pine tree and blue star against an off-white background. Secretary of State Shenna Bellows announced the flag contest Friday. The deadline is July 19.
A modern version of that flag used from 1901 to 1909 took the state by storm during the Maine's in 2020, and has appeared on hats, sweatshirts and soon . This popularity played a role in lawmakers' approval of a bill last year to let Mainers vote on replacing the current flag, which features the state's official seal, a lumberjack, a sailor and the state's motto, Dirigo. That's Latin for 鈥淚 lead,鈥 a reference to the north star.
The design process was without controversy until news reports of flown at the vacation home of Supreme Court Justice . The flag featuring a pine tree and the words , but has recently been associated with the Christian nationalist movement and the false claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.
Bellows brushed aside a reporter's question about the flags' similarities at a news conference. 鈥淭his is a debate delightfully free of partisan politics, and one that every Maine voter can weigh in on at the ballot box this fall,鈥 she said in a statement.
The law requires Bellows to present the final design. 鈥淭his duty bestowed upon me by the Legislature is not a job I can do alone. That鈥檚 why today I invite every Mainer to consider submitting a design for consideration,鈥 she said.
