After narrowing down the field of about 3,000 submissions from the public over the past two months, an appointed commission was charged with replacing the 1894 Confederate-themed flag. After some last-minute tweaks to the design and considering delaying to permit a poll of likely voter, the commission voted 8-1 in favor of the “New Magnolia”, over the “Great River”, which was the other finalist. Also, the commission unanimously voted to name the chosen design and market it to voters as “In God We Trust Flag.” When the Legislature voted to take down the Confederate-themed flag, it stipulated that any design that the commission chose must include those words and the Confederate emblem. Reuben Anderson, Chairman of the Commission, addressed the commission along with a small group of media and observers on Wednesday following the vote. Anderson stated that Mississippi had “been at bottom” all his life and that the Confederate flag was a major factor in that ranking. “On November 3, I believe that this will change. Anderson stated that although we won’t immediately move to the top, Anderson can guarantee us that we will. “… While I may remain at the bottom for the rest of my life, our children and grandchildren will be able to see us rise… (the new Flag) communicates that we are open to business. After his remarks, Anderson received a standing ovation and applause from his fellow commissioners. After decades of debate, the Mississippi Legislature voted to take down the 1894 state flag and its Confederate battle emblem. It created the commission to select a new flag that would be presented to voters on the Nov. 3. ballot. The new design is up to the voters to approve or reject. If voters reject the design, they can go back to the drawing boards and present another design next year to voters. Wednesday’s chosen design features a magnolia, the official state tree/flower. It is set on a blue background with stars and gold vertical stripes at the ends. Another finalist was a red-and white shield with blue wavy lines that represented the Mississippi River. The prominent star of the two designs was made from diamonds and represented the Native Americans who inhabited the area in the 1817 creation of the 2nd state. The magnolia Flag was created by a combination of several people: Rocky Vaughan of Ackerman, Sue Anna Joe (a Greenwood native who now lives in California), Kara Giles, the graphic designer and mayoral assistant of Oxford, and Dominique Pugh, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. The Great River shield flag, which Micah Whitson designed, was not chosen. However, the commission chose Whitson to be a contributor because he created the Native American star in both of the designs. The shield flag was voted for by nearly 60% in an online poll conducted on the MDAH website. Commissioners pointed out that this poll was not scientific, and that online votes were cast by people all over the country. They discussed postponing the final vote and conducting a scientific survey of registered Mississippi voters. They were reminded by the secretary of state that Wednesday was the deadline for the flag to be placed on the Nov.3 ballot. T.J. Taylor (the policy director for House Speaker Philip Gunn) wanted to delay the vote. He had made some last-minute design changes, which were rejected Wednesday. The commissioner cast the one vote against the magnolia flag. However, the commission voted unanimously in favor of adopting it and sending it to the ballot. The commission approved the “In God We Trust Flag” design and voted to name it. It also approved an initiative for voter education to be implemented by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. This initiative will include the creation of a documentary on the flag change. Parts of this document will be used in a voter educational campaign. Lauren Smith, a Tupelo activist of “Let Mississippi Vote,” was present at Wednesday’s commission meeting. Smith is an organizer of the group. She was upset that the Legislature had removed the old state flag and not allowed people to vote on it. They have started a petition drive to get the 1894 flag and Confederate emblem on the statewide ballot. Smith stated that the group wants to give Mississippians an opportunity to vote and to have their say on what flag they have. “That is the only purpose of the Let Mississippi Vote Initiative, to give Mississippi voice.”