ST. PAUL – Should the fate of Minnesota’s flag be decided by a few appointees on a state commission or all Minnesotans?
State Representative Marj Fogelman (R-Fulda) said the decision should be made by residents, as she is supporting new proposals that would allow Minnesotans to vote on the new flag design that has been approved by the Minnesota State Emblems Redesign Commission. Fogelman recently took part in a State Capitol press conference that unveiled the legislation.
“I’ve been hearing plenty of complaints about the flag redesign process, including local governments in our district,” Fogelman said. “All are upset that only a handful of unelected voices are making this permanent change. Giving people the right to vote and decide whether this flag design best represents them seems like a common sense decision.”
Not long ago, the Minnesota State Emblems Redesign Commission approved a new state flag. During the hearing, commission members were told by the Secretary of State that voting on a new flag was unconstitutional.
After consulting with nonpartisan experts, several legal ways were discovered that could make the process constitutional and put the flag design up for a vote this November. Fogelman said each process has its own separate bill, and it would be up to a majority of supporting lawmakers to decide which avenue works best for the State of Minnesota.
Since the commission finished its redesign decisions, the Nobles and Cottonwood County boards approved resolutions in opposition to the new state flag and state seal.
Fogelman said a recent analysis found that roughly 75% of Minnesotans have some level of dissatisfaction over the process to create a new state flag or the final product itself.
“If the majority of voters like the flag and vote for it, then it would be our new state flag,” Fogelman said. “If the majority of voters oppose it, the flag redesign process would start over. Either way, giving Minnesota residents the right to vote on their new state flag allows them to have their voices heard.”