Wilkes was elected first to the Mississippi House during a 2017 special election. She was re-elected in 2019. Wilkes quickly deleted the tweet with the Confederate flag flying in the background and a rainbow from her private account on Twitter. She said, “It was an accident.” I just saw the beautiful picture and the rainbow. “I didn’t notice that it wasn’t the state flag.” Jansen Owen was responding to a tweet by freshman Rep. Jansen Owen (R-Poplarville), encouraging people to visit the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and express their preference for a new state flag design. The Mississippi Legislature voted in June to take down the state flag, which had a Confederate battle emblem on it. Wilkes voted against the controversial flag removal bill. A commission was formed to suggest a new flag design that voters can approve or reject during the Nov. 3 general elections. The commission will suggest another design if the voters reject it. The law requires that the new design includes the phrase “In God we Trust”, but not the Confederate battle emblem. Wilkes stated that she posted the Confederate flag photo in error because she wanted to emphasize the fact that citizens should be able to vote on the removal of the Confederate symbol. She stated that she believes the voters would have done right and voted for the flag to be changed. Let Mississippi Vote, a group that was formed in the wake of the election, has stated it will try to collect the over 100,000 signatures required to place on the ballot a proposal to restore the flag bearing the Confederate emblem. If approved by the voters. The proposal would allow voters to choose from the old 1894 flag or a flag with the state seal, the Hospitality Flag, or any other design that the flag commission decides. On Monday, the group filed paperwork with Secretary of State. After the initial paperwork is done and all legal work is complete, the group has one year to collect the signatures. Wilkes’ Twitter account remains private. She has 168 fans. Anthony Hales Sr., former Pearl River County Supervisor, said that he received screenshots from two county residents. He posted a screenshot of her tweet about the Confederate Flag on his Facebook page. He said that residents who alerted him to her tweet were shocked by her post. Hales, who was a supervisor from 1996 to 2016, stated, “I don’t know why she put that up.” It’s not a good appearance.”