Illinois Hates Change — Their Flag Vote is Proof

Well, it turns out the people of Illinois aren’t too keen on shaking things up — at least not when it comes to their state flag. After a five-week public voting period filled with shiny new designs, significant symbolism, and an attempt to rebrand the state’s visual identity, Illinois voters responded with a resounding “Nah, we’re good.”

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced on Facebook that the people had spoken, and loudly at that. A whopping 165,602 votes were cast in favor of keeping the current flag, leaving the nearest competing design in the dust with a measly 32,898 votes.

That’s not even close. That’s a landslide, a rout, a blowout of epic proportions. You get what I mean Bears fans. The people of Illinois took one look at ten brand-new, artistically refined flags and said, "Well stick with all-white, plus the generic crest, and the state name."

It’s not that the Illinois Flag Commission didn’t try. They went all in on a possible change. They sorted through nearly 5,000 submissions from designers and residents eager to leave their mark on the state’s history. They hand-picked ten finalists, each bursting with symbolism — prairie-inspired stripes, nods to Indigenous heritage, and even some sleek modern aesthetics. Nope. Change be damned; the tried-and-true eagle-on-a-rock-over-a-river design is apparently where it's at.

Now, let’s be honest — the current Illinois flag has been called a lot of things: boring, generic, a glorified letterhead. It’s even been accused of looking like something a college student designed at the eleventh hour, just so they had something to turn in. But does Illinois care? Nope.

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Because here’s the thing: Illinois doesn’t do change just for the sake of it. Chicago deep-dish pizza has been the same for decades. The Cubs took 108 years to win a World Series, and still have a rabid fan base. Route 66 has been around forever. Illinois loves their traditions, and when given the choice between a bold, new something, they run to the classic for comfort, even when an update was probably needed (I'm looking at you Cubs fans).

To be fair, this is democracy in action. The people were asked what they wanted, and they answered with the enthusiasm of a Midwesterner who refuses to take the last slice of pizza. You take it. No YOU take it. Well I'm not gonna take it. Will someone just eat the last dang slice?! So while Mississippi, Utah, and a few other states have gone through dramatic flag redesigns in recent years, Illinois is holding the line. The boring, generic line.

What happens next? The Illinois Flag Commission will report these findings to the General Assembly, which now has a very important job — do nothing. And unless lawmakers have the devious desire to overrule a landslide vote, the current flag isn’t going anywhere.

via GIPHY

So, congratulations, Illinois! Enjoy your "Seal on a Bed Sheet." You had the chance to reinvent yourself, to start fresh, to embrace a bold new era of state pride. Instead, you doubled down on tradition. And honestly? That’s kind of admirable... in a Bears / Cubs fan kind of way.