The people of Illinois have spoken, and they overwhelmingly favor retaining the current state flag. Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias has announced the results of the state flag redesign contest following a five-week voting period.

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias on Thursday announced that of the nearly 385,000 votes his office received between January and February, more than 165,000 (43% of all ballots) were cast for the existing flag.

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias said after the five-week voting period, the current state flag won the vote. Voters picked from the Illinois Flag Commission's Top 10 new designs, including the current design. Among the options were the state's 1918 centennial flag and the 1968 sesquicentennial flag.