On June 28, 2020, the House and Senate overwhelmingly voted to retire the 1894 state flag. The bill followed Welch and Hall’s earlier suggestion to establish a commission to select a new state flag design and allow voters to either approve or reject it in a November referendum. [...]
On Sept. 2, the Commission to Redesign the Mississippi State Flag announced its final pick: an updated version of Vaughn’s design that Welch and Hall had originally pitched to lawmakers on June 9, 2020, with design support provided by Sue Anna Joe, Kara Giles and Dominique Pugh. Like Stennis’ flag, the proposal featured red bars. But instead of an inverted Bonnie Blue Star at its center, Vaughn’s featured a magnolia on a blue field encircled by stars. It also incorporated an element from the runner-up flag designed by Micah Whitson: a diamondhead star at the top of the circle to represent Mississippi’s indigenous tribes. [...]
Exactly two months later, 73% of Mississippians voted to approve Vaughn’s design as the new state flag. Crystal Welch’s quest to ensure the new flag would tell the story of Mississippi’s diversity and progress had succeeded.
We ended up with the flag that I think the majority of Mississippians are proud to have represent us,” Welch said.