On Tuesday, Utah Governor Spencer Cox signed into law a bill that would bring about a new state flag beginning in March 2024.
Yet, the present (and now historic) flag of Utah will not be replaced anytime soon. Along with signing Senate Bill 31, which was narrowly passed by the Utah legislature earlier this month despite some backlash and controversy requiring amendments to the law, Governor Cox also signed an executive order clarifying how the state’s historic flag will continue to be displayed.
Republican state Sen. Dan McCay authored new legislation that recognises three iterations of the present Utah flag as “historical” versions of the flag. Based on an executive order signed by Cox, the ancient Utah flag “must be flown at the Capitol at all times and in all state facilities on particular festivals and special occasions.”
When both flags are flown from the same pole, Governor Herbert has asked that the Utah legislature revise SB31 during the next session to mandate that the older flag always be flown at the top.
Utah’s current flag features a bald eagle, but the state is considering a redesign.
Utah’s new state flag will be officially adopted on March 9, 2024, under legislation approved by Governor Spencer Cox.
The current design displays a golden ring surrounding a bald eagle, the national bird of the United States, on a navy backdrop. In addition to the Mormon pioneers’ arrival in 1847 and Utah’s statehood in 1896, the seal features Utah’s coat of arms and the state’s respective emblems.
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Utah Changed Its Flag
Utah’s “More Than Just A Flag” project called for a new flag with a beehive and accompanying star in the centre, surrounded by a hexagon, snowy mountains, and red rocks on a blue background.
According to the project, the state flag’s design was chosen to symbolise not only the diversity of the state’s people and landscape, but also its commitment to strong, unified beliefs.
There were 5703 submissions total, with over 2500 coming from students. In November of 2022, the top five designs were unveiled, and the winning design was a hybrid of two of those designs.
Mark Brooks, of Bountiful, and Sarina Ehrgott, of South Jordan, submitted the winning entries. The latter is a worker in Utah’s division of arts and community engagement.
In terms of public support, their ideas won out.
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Why Did Utah Change Its Flag?
State officials are pleased with the new logo, which they believe more truly reflects the values of today’s inhabitants. The redesign of the Utah state flag will be overseen by the Utah State Flag Task Force, which will be established in 2020.
More Than Just A Flag was the name given to the statewide flag project in 2021, when respondents to a study said the current eagle flag didn’t represent them.
The survey indicated that due to the complexity of the logo, few Utah residents could reproduce it, and that sports team flags were more commonplace than the state insignia.
“The idea was to create a design that’s easier to copy and recognise at a distance, a design that Utahns can unite around,” the government website reads. And to design a new Utah flag that more people will be pleased to fly.
Amendment Of Bill For New Flag
Moreover, Cox proposes an amendment to the measure that would mandate the display of the original flag atop the current flag whenever both are exhibited.
Senator Dan McCay, who introduced the bill to modify the state flag, said he is already making steps to implement the governor’s suggested amendments.
“I’m happy the Governor found a method to assure that our existing flag will maintain a vital role in the future of Utah,” McCay said in a text message. I’m happy to see that so many Utah residents have input into the creation of the new flag for the Beehive State.
Opponents of the move, for whom simply acknowledging the current flag as a historical option wasn’t satisfactory, started a referendum push earlier this month to bring the proposal to a vote. By April 12, they need to have 134,298 signatures from Utah voters. Eight percent of registered voters in 15 of Utah’s 29 Senate districts are required for that sum to be accurate. If they succeed, the new flag won’t be adopted until the next general election, scheduled for either 2023 or 2024.
Conclusion
State officials are pleased with the new logo, which they believe more truly reflects the values of today’s inhabitants. The redesign of the Utah state flag will be overseen by the Utah State Flag Task Force, which will be established in 2020.
More Than Just A Flag was the name given to the statewide flag project in 2021, when respondents to a study said the current eagle flag didn’t represent them.
The survey indicated that due to the complexity of the logo, few Utah residents could reproduce it, and that sports team flags were more commonplace than the state insignia.
“The goal was to create a design that is easy to copy and recognise from a distance, a design that Utahns can rally around,” the official website explains. And to design a new Utah flag that more people will be pleased to fly.
