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After 12,167 votes and five rounds of tabulation, the results are in and…
Design F29 by Brandon Hundt is the winner of our ranked-choice flag design poll with 6,542 (55.8%) final-round votes!
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Named “L'étoile du Nord flag” by its creator, the flag features a snowflake and a directional (north) star on a blue background, paying tribute to Minnesota’s weather, geographical position, and lakes respectively.
Using ranked choice voting is a fun and fair way to let the people of Minnesota weigh in on the selection of our state’s new flag. At the close of voting this morning, more than 12,000 people cast their vote by ranking the state flags in the order they liked them. Under RCV, the winning candidate must have a majority of votes (50% + 1).
In the first round, F29 had the most votes with 4,678 of ballots. They breakdown by percent (rounded) as follows:
*
F29
with
39%
*
F944
with
31%
*
F1953
with
15%
*
F2100
with
12%
*
F1435
with
3%%
*
F1154
with
1%
Round by round, the flags with the lowest support were eliminated and reallocated based on the next choices on those ballots. F29 and F944 remained the top two contenders in each round, with F29 emerging the winner with 6,542 votes or 55.3% overall support!
F944 came in a close second place in the final round. The author explained about the design: “This design pays tribute to Minnesota’s diverse and dynamic landscape, with wisps of snow, clouds, and aurora reflected by pristine, bending waters, and a guiding, four-pointed North Star inspired by the symbols and astronomy of Dakota and Ojibwe tribes.”
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RCV demonstrates the value of letting voters cast a ballot for their true first choice without worrying that their vote will be wasted or help elect the candidate that they like the least. And voters ranked! After several rounds, the winner emerged with a full 53.8% of all votes cast, demonstrating that voters felt strongly about their preferences and weighed in all the way down the ballot.
This contest also showed the power of RCV to elect a winner with the broadest possible support. With no design receiving more than 38% of the initial votes cast, we would not know which design the majority prefers without RCV — and conducted in a single, easy election.
Thank you to everyone who cast a vote in our poll! Results will now be submitted to the state flag commission, who will make a final recommendation to the legislature! You can view the full results and tabulation here [[link removed]] .
FairVote Minnesota wants to thank all the contributors who submitted state flag and seal designs and the State Emblems Redesign Commission for their time and commitment reviewing and selecting a new Minnesota state flag and seal that reflect and honor our state’s diverse geography, history and people. We are eager to see the final Commission selections!
The FairVote Minnesota team

FairVote Minnesota
550 Vandalia Street, Suite 210
Saint Paul, MN 55114
United States
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