This year’s election in Mississippi included choosing a new state flag. Its former state flag was adopted in 1894, was the last in the nation to bear a confederate emblem.
The new flag features a magnolia blossom surrounded by 20 stars, a nod to the state’s position as the twentieth state added to the union.
Mississippians called on state leadership to drop the confederate emblem from the state’s flag this year. Governor Tate Reeves signed a bill in June to remove the emblem, with the final design being voted on in yesterday’s (November 3) election.
At the time of the bill signing, Governor Reeves said, “I know there are people of goodwill who are not happy to see this flag changed.” He later added that deciding to change the flag was not “a political moment to me, but a solemn occasion to lead our Mississippi family to come together, to be reconciled and to move on.”
The new flag received overwhelming support, earning approval by 72% of Mississippi voters even as many expressed disappointment in letting the 126-year-old flag go.
The road to getting a new flag in Mississippi has been long. In 2001, state leadership voted to keep the flag along with the emblem at the time.
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