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.

The redesign contest included 10 new designs, two former state flags and the current one. The current flag received over 165,000 of the nearly 385,000 votes cast.