A commission was appointed to review thousands of public submissions and choose the new design with magnolias and stars. This is a combination from multiple submissions. After decades of debate, and pressure from community, religious, and business leaders, the Legislature removed the 1894 flag and its divisive Confederate symbol in June. The voters would have to ratify a replacement. READ MORE: Mississippi furls adopts the Confederate emblem for its state flag after 126 years. The new design is a magnolia, the official state tree/flower — with a blue background and stars with red vertical stripes at the ends. One prominent star is made of diamonds to represent the Native Americans who first settled the area. A ring of smaller stars marks the fact that Mississippi became the 20th state in 1817. When the Legislature voted to take down the old flag, it made it clear that any design that was put before the voters must include the words “In God we Trust” and the Confederate emblem. The redesign commission will return to the drawing board to design a new flag for next year if the majority of voters don’t approve of the new flag. Let Mississippi Vote hopes to reverse the Legislature’s decision to remove the old flag. It will mount a petition drive that it hopes to place on the 2020 ballot. This initiative would allow voters to choose between restoring the flag from 1894 or other options, such as the one on Tuesday. According to the group, it will have people present at the polls on Tuesday collecting information and names for its drive. MORE ELECTION OVERVIEW: Mississippi Today’s Voter Guide has more information on all that’s on November 3.