A magnolia may replace Confederate symbols on new Mississippi state flag
A state commission selected the Magnolia Flag to be the next flag of Mississippi. Voters will decide in November whether to approve it or restart the process.
The commission voted Wednesday to recommend the flag over one other final design that featured a shield with wavy lines representing water.
The final designs were selected out of about 3,000 proposals submitted to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History for consideration.
The commission considered holding a poll of registered voters to decide between the final two flags at Wednesday's meeting, but Katie Blount, director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, said the secretary of state told her the flag needed to be decided by Sept. 2 to be printed on absentee ballots.
This summer, lawmakers voted to remove Mississippi's previous flag, which incorporates the Confederate battle banner. That flag was adopted in 1894, nearly three decades after the end of the Civil War.
Under the rules adopted by the Legislature, the next flag must not contain the Confederate banner and must use the words "In God We Trust."
Contributing: The Associated Press
Follow Giacomo "Jack" Bologna on Twitter: @gbolognaCL.