The winning design of a flag contest, announced by Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, released by the state of Maine in August. Mainers will vote in November on whether to adopt the design by Adam Lemire of Gardiner as the official flag for the state of Maine. State of Maine/Secretary of State via Associated Press

Maine voters will finally have a chance this November to weigh in on whether to replace the current state flag with an earlier version from 1901.

The referendum comes after years of debate over whether the flag should be changed and if so, if the new flag should mirror the original with a realistic-looking pine tree with roots, or be based on a popular version featuring a more abstract tree.

Secretary of State Shenna Bellows settled last month on a lifelike adaptation of a pine tree, along with the original blue star and buff background, following a design contest that drew more than 400 submissions. The proposed flag will now go before voters.

Here are some things to know about Question 5:

What is Question 5? 

Do you favor making the former state flag, replaced as the official flag of the State in 1909 and commonly known as the Pine Tree Flag, the official flag of the State?

Question 5 asks voters if the official state flag should be changed to look more like the one used from 1901 to 1909, when it was replaced with the current version featuring the state seal on a blue background. The proposal stems from legislation approved by lawmakers in 2023 that authorized a referendum on whether the earlier flag should be restored.

David Martucci, a vexillologist (flag expert) with an original flag with the 1901 Maine state flag design. Martucci says the flag was made in 1908 to be displayed at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition held in Seattle in 1909. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

How did the proposal to change the flag come about? 

The debate over whether Maine should change its state flag has been going on for several years. Before the 2023 legislation passed, other efforts to replace the flag failed in the Legislature in 2019 and 2021. And even earlier than that, Knox County vexillologist David Martucci said he was working with lawmakers to try and make the change in the 1990s, though those efforts were also unsuccessful.

The recent drive for the restoration of the earlier flag, which features a pine tree and star on a buff background, was partly fueled by a design popularized by the Maine Flag Co. in Portland, which reintroduced a version of the original flag in 2017 that featured a more stylized pine tree.

Former Rep. Sean Paulhus, D-Bath, sponsored the 2023 legislation and told fellow lawmakers at the time that the original flag is unique and more easily recognizable. He said he got interested in the issue after working with the city of Bath on a city flag.

“Our original (state) flag embodies our Dirigo motto, it is pure Maine and cannot be mistaken for any other state’s flag,” Paulhus said in testimony before the Legislature.

Gov. Janet Mills allowed the bill to become law without her signature, a move that effectively delayed the referendum a year. Mills said that would provide more time for discussion and debate around the proposed change.

Adam Lemire of Gardiner, right, talks about his design for the Maine flag, after his design was unveiled by Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows during a media event at Bellows’ office in Augusta. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

What is the new design? 

The Maine secretary of state held a contest to finalize the design of the new flag that voters will consider. The contest, which was held this past summer, drew more than 400 entries. Bellows selected a submission from Adam Lemire, an architect from Gardiner, as the winner.

Lemire’s design includes all the elements of the original state flag used in the early 1900s: a pine tree in the center, a blue star in the upper corner and a buff background. It features a more lifelike and realistic pine tree, as opposed to the stylized version.

The winning design won’t be on the ballot in November, but it will be available in a voting guide to be published by the secretary of state’s office later this fall, and the office said they hope it will also be on display at polling places. The design has been published in the media and is also linked to the secretary of state’s website.

These are some variations on the 1901 Maine state flag design, along with the current version featuring the state seal. The secretary of state received more than 400 submissions based on the pine-tree-and-star theme. Contributed images

What is the history of the 1901 flag? 

The original 1901 flag was proposed and designed by Adjutant Gen. John Richards, a Civil War veteran who oversaw the soldiers’ home at Togus in Augusta from 1905 to 1915, according to Martucci, who is also a past president of the North American Vexillological Association.

Martucci told the Press Herald last year that trees are important symbols of life, prosperity and strength, and that the flag’s pine tree represents the social, economic and political unity of the state and its three roots represent the three branches of government serving Maine people.

The star represents Maine’s position as the northernmost of the contiguous states in 1820 and its guiding light to mariners as described in legislation that year establishing the state seal.

Why did Maine stop using the 1901 flag? 

It’s not clear. The design was in use from 1901 to 1909, when for an unknown reason, legislation changed the design to the current iteration featuring the state seal. There is no record of any debate around the change, Bellows told lawmakers last year.

Newspaper accounts and similarities to other military flags suggest the change was brought forward by veterans of the Civil War or their descendants, who introduced a new flag based on flags flown by military units during the war, according to Martucci.

Have other states changed their flags? 

Yes. Part of the criticism of the current flag is its similarity to other state flags. Close to two dozen other states also have blue flags featuring a state seal or coat of arms.

Last year, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed into law a bill making a red, white and blue flag with a beehive symbolizing Utah’s history and sense of community the new “official” state flag and designating earlier versions as “historical.” The new official flag replaced a blue flag with a variation of the state seal.

Earlier this year, Minnesota replaced its blue flag carrying the state seal with a new flag featuring a dark blue background in a stylized shape of the state, an eight-point star and the remainder of the flag bright blue to represent the state’s many lakes.

Paulhus said in an interview this week that he has heard some confusion about whether Maine’s state seal will change or be discontinued if a new flag is designated – it will not.

“People already have already kind of embraced the original design to show off their pride in the state – the Pine Tree State – but the state seal will continue to be used,” he said.

Is there a cost to changing the flag? 

There will be two state ballots this year – one for candidates and one for referendum questions. Lawmakers last spring appropriated additional spending for a second ballot to accommodate five referendum questions, so the cost isn’t specific to any one question.

Costs to state agencies to replace the current flag can be absorbed within existing budgeted resources, assuming the changeover occurs gradually as the current flags become worn and frayed, according to the fiscal note on L.D. 86, the bill that proposed the change by referendum.

Who opposes Question 5? 

No one is raising money to either support or oppose the referendum, though it did draw debate in the Legislature last year.

Some lawmakers argued that the current flag’s blue field was chosen in honor of Maine soldiers who fought in the Civil War and should be preserved. They also said it was too soon to initiate a referendum when, at the time, a final design hadn’t been chosen.

Rep. Jennifer Poirier, R-Skowhegan, who raised concerns last year about the impact of a change on businesses that utilize the flag, said this week that lately, she has heard a mix of support for and opposition to the change.

“Some people like the older flag’s style,” she said. “Others are adamant we need to keep the current flag. One of the major concerns is the history of that flag. We’ve had it for a long time.”

Poirier said the cost of making the change, even if it’s minimal, is also a concern. “Just because they say the cost can be absorbed doesn’t mean there isn’t a cost,” she said. “People are struggling to pay for groceries and everyday bills. Things like this are an unnecessary expense, in my opinion.”

L.D. 86 passed 72-70 in the House, with all Republicans and five Democrats opposed, and 20-7 in the Senate, with only one Republican in favor and one Democrat opposed.

A spokesperson for Gov. Janet Mills said this week that the governor has not yet decided if she will be weighing in on any ballot questions this year.