Unofficial ranked choice poll opens for final 3 Minnesota state flag designs

ST. PAUL, Minn. — There are now three options remaining for the new Minnesota state flag, and there's an opportunity participate in a mock election to show your support for one of the remaining options.

The State Emblems Redesign Commission whittled the group of flag finalists to three after initially receiving more than 2,000 submissions, which featured laser-eyed loons and even a photo of someone's dog. The commission narrowed the options down to six last month, and on Tuesday unveiled the final three, after receiving more than 15,000 public comments.

FairVote Minnesota, an organization that advocates for ranked choice voting, ran a fake election and submitted the results to the commission. However, the top choice — the "L'étoile du Nord flag" — was not among the top three finalists, even though it was consistently the favorite through multiple rounds of votes.

There's now a new election for the finalists, which will close at noon on Friday, an hour before the commission is set to meet again. 

You can also watch the results come in live — as of Wednesday afternoon, F944, a dynamic design that evokes the water and the snowfall in Minnesota, was the clear favorite. 

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Last week, the commission officially chose the state's new seal, which featured a loon, as well as the state motto "L'Etoile du Nord." Notably, no loons are included in the flag finalists, as they're not found in southern areas of Minnesota. 

Note: The above video first aired on Dec. 8, 2023