Voters in Mississippi decided a state flag referendum in April 2001. Using a county-wide data set and a number of multivariate statistical techniques, we find that the defeat of the proposed new state flag vote was as much a matter of class as it was of race. In 2001, a referendum was introduced for the first time to replace the state flag. However, almost 20 years later, Wiggins says an entire generation has been left out of the vote. The use of a referendum, in fact, was proposed by battle-flag supporters in both of those states as a way to keep the symbol alive by taking advantage of every Southern state's white and generally . The compromise is for the legislature to get rid of current flag and have the people select the new flag. 2001 Mississippi State Flag Referendum JONATHAN I. LEIB Old Dominion University GERALD R. WEBSTER University of Wyoming Contentious debates over whether it is appropri-ate to display the Confederate battle flag in public spaces have been waged across the American South since the late 1980s, with attitudes in these Thus, the proposed 2001 flag design has become just another interesting notation in Mississippi flag history. Mississippi's Flag Referendum (2001) 5 comments.
A new design was proposed in 2001, but the referendum was rejected. Mississippi House Rep. Shanda Yates, a Democrat from Jackson, told the Mississippi Free Press Wednesday that the ongoing national and global awakening over cases of . . Since 2001, when voters decisively approved the flag in a referendum, the line taken by many Mississippi lawmakers was that only another statewide vote could change it. That 2001 referendum didn't mean a thing. Mississippi is the last state which prominently displays the Confederate battle emblem on its flag, which is derided by critics as a symbol of racism and slavery but is viewed by supporters as a . 94. Links: Mississippi Flag Referendum (April 2001) In 1906, Mississippi enacted a revised code of laws, and due to an oversight, the law establishing the official state flag was inadvertently repealed. Had Mississippi's first official flag, adopted in 1861 - the Magnolia Flag - been offered as a viable, historical alternative, the 2001 referendum might have delivered a different outcome. report. Now, more than 19 years later, Mississippi lawmakers are once again contemplating retiring the 1894 flag, which voters opted to keep in that 2001 referendum by a 2-to-1 margin. Enum. Web posted at: 11:25 p.m. EDT (0325 GMT) JACKSON, Mississippi (CNN) -- Mississippi voters go to the polls Tuesday to decide whether to keep the Confederate battle emblem on their state flag or . Critics derided it . 2001 Mississippi flag referendum Metadata This file contains additional information such as Exif metadata which may have been added by the digital camera, scanner, or software program used to create or digitize it. While a popular vote on the flag might sound like a nod to egalitarian ideals, for many state lawmakers — and the last three Mississippi governors — calling for a referendum on the flag or noting that one was already held in 2001 has been something of a dodge. Tensions flare at Mississippi Capitol as lawmakers debate changing state flag. This state flag was the official state flag until 1865, although it remained in use through 1894. However, the state legislature voted to re-adopt the historic flag design. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast . Ten months after Johnson's death, the 2001 referendum to replace the Mississippi flag—based largely around the change being good for business rather than the flag's roots in slavery and . Campaign Overview Five citizen initiatives related to the Mississippi state flag—one which sought to change the flag and four which sought to keep or more formally recognize it—were proposed in 2018 and 2019. At the ballot box, voters were asked to decide if the current flag adopted in 1894 was to remain Mississippi's flag or if a recommended alternative (above) would become the new flag. It's about saving the Mississippi flag by flying it everywhere, accompanied by the American flag and the flags of Liberty. There was the 2001 statewide referendum, the second election I ever voted in, in which nearly two-thirds . The Confederate Battle Emblem and the 2001 Mississippi State Flag Referendum" Webster, Gerald R.; Leib, Jonathan I. Southeastern Geographer, 2012, 52(3), 299-326. The 2001 flag referendum included a proposal to replace the Confederate emblem with a blue rectangle topped by circles of white stars to represent Mississippi as the 20th state. It appears to be a way to sidestep taking a clear stance on an issue that has .
Today's referendum resulted from political maneuvering that began last year, after the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled that the state had no official state flag. The 2001 flag referendum included a proposal to replace the Confederate emblem with a blue rectangle topped by circles of white stars to represent Mississippi as the 20th state. The 2001 Referendum. Source for Popular Vote data: Mississippi Secretary of State. In 2020 a referendum to replace the state flag was again introduced. "65 Percent" History is catching up to us as we dive into the referendum that solidified our current state flag. 2001 Vote Background/Results. A vote was held April 17, 2001, for Mississippians to choose an official flag--either the flag that had been used unofficially since 1894 that included a controversial symbol of the Confederate Battle Flag, or a new design. It's about showing the your friends, neighbors, elected officials and the media that . Mississippi Kept Its Flag As Georgia's Changed. However, the Governor's letter (an executive order), sent to every US flag manufacturer did begin the process of bringing more uniformity to Mississippi flags purchased by state government. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. New state flag proposed in 2001 (WLBT Archives) "It is absolutely, I think, the best approach to getting Mississippi beyond this point," said Rep. Ed Blackmon, D-Canton, at the time. Tate Reeves has rejected a call among some state legislators that would like to see Mississippi adopt a second official state flag alongside the current one, which is the only . It was repealed in 1906, but it remained in use. Mississippi is the last state in the United States to publicly display the confederate symbol as part of its state flag. Critics derided it as a "pizza flag." The Mississippi State Flag Referendum was on the ballot in Mississippi on as a legislatively referred state statute on April 17, 2001.. The paper is organized as follows. save. The referendum, which asked voters if the new design prepared by the independent commission should be . The previous Mississippi state flag was adopted by the state legislature in 1894. Mississippi Will Vote on New State Flag. Aired April 16, 2001 - 22:04 ET. share. votes cast in Mississippi's April 2001 special election. The emblem on the left side of the 1894 flag included the Confederate battle cross. New Zealand had a two-part referendum in 2015 and 2016, sticking with the national banner that includes the Union Jack. Mississippi's flag since 1894 & overwhelmingly confirmed as the people's choice in a 2001 referendum. The Statewide Measure 3 in accordance to the flag referendum passed with 71.64% of voters voting yes and 28.36% of voters voting no. Web posted at: 11:25 p.m. EDT (0325 GMT) JACKSON, Mississippi (CNN) -- Mississippi voters go to the polls Tuesday to decide whether to keep the Confederate battle emblem on their state flag or .