Rockford Sun

State Senator Dave Syverson has expressed satisfaction following the decision by Illinois residents to retain the current state flag design. On March 6, it was announced that the existing flag received more votes than the next five top designs combined from a total of 385,000 votes.

The Illinois Flag Commission had previously chosen 10 finalists from nearly 5,000 submissions for a potential redesign. These were made available for public viewing and voting on the Secretary of State’s website.

Critics, including Senator Syverson, argued against the redesign proposal, labeling it as an unnecessary use of time and taxpayer money. "Illinois residents spoke against a proposal to change our State flag, which is not a surprise," Syverson stated. He opposed the creation of a new Flag Commission due to its cost implications. "And when taxpayers realized the additional costs of implementing a flag change in Illinois, estimated at tens of millions of dollars, they rejected the idea."

Senator Syverson emphasized his opposition based on financial concerns. He pointed out that with ongoing budget challenges and pressing issues like financial instability and struggling schools, resources should not be diverted to redesigning the flag. He described this effort as indicative of misplaced priorities.

The original state flag was designed by Lucy Derwent in 1915 and has seen minimal changes since then, such as adding “Illinois” below the seal in 1969.