AUGUSTA, Maine — Mainers are going to decide in November whether to adopt a new flag, but the state needs to settle on a design first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anyone can submit<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A modern version of that flag used from 1901 to 1909 took the state by storm during the Maine’s bicentennial<\/a> in 2020, and has appeared on hats, sweatshirts and soon license plates<\/a>. 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 \u201cI lead,\u201d a reference to the north star.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The design process was without controversy until news reports of a similar-looking flag<\/a> flown at the vacation home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito<\/a>. The flag featuring a pine tree and the words \u201cAN APPEAL TO HEAVEN\u201d dates to the Revolutionary War<\/a>, but has recently been associated with the Christian nationalist movement and the false claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bellows brushed aside a reporter’s question about the flags’ similarities at a news conference. \u201cThis is a debate delightfully free of partisan politics, and one that every Maine voter can weigh in on at the ballot box this fall,\u201d she said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The law requires Bellows to present the final design. \u201cThis duty bestowed upon me by the Legislature is not a job I can do alone. That\u2019s why today I invite every Mainer to consider submitting a design for consideration,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n