November 6 – A referendum to replace Maine’s official flag with a design from more than a hundred years ago was soundly defeated on Election Day.
Question 5 sought to restore the 1901 “Pine Tree Flag”. But when nearly 80% of the votes were counted by Wednesday afternoon, it was clear that wouldn’t happen — at least not this year.
More than 669,000 people voted in favor of the measure, which lawmakers wanted to submit to a citizen referendum in 2023. As of Wednesday afternoon, 55% of voters had opted for the current design, which features the Maine state seal on a blue background.
Supporters of Pine Tree Flag have praised its simple design and contrast with the flags of other states. David Martucci, a vexillologist who has fought for decades for the return of the old flag, said he believed it was the best version of the state, even if its duration was short-lived. (Maine retired the Pine Tree Flag in 1909.)
Martucci said in a telephone interview Wednesday that he was disappointed by the loss but still plans to fly his Pine Tree flag as high as possible.
“It’s still a Maine flag,” Martucci said. “It’s still a historic Maine flag – you can still buy it, you can still fly it. This doesn’t stop people from using it.”
The design had become a kind of unofficial state flag in recent years, appearing on souvenirs and gifts in stores across the state.
Opponents warned that it could be expensive to replace flags at state offices, and that the state seal is also an important part of Maine history.
The question has led to dozens of letters to the editor in recent months, mainly objecting to the proposed change.
“As the old saying goes, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’” Roland Gagne wrote in a letter to the editor, noting that Maine’s existing flag has been around much longer.
Diane Smith said there were “so many other practical places to spend taxpayer money,” and Don Means wondered if the proposed Pine Tree design was too similar to others carried during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.
In May, some people raised concerns that the flag was too similar to the Appeal to Heaven flag, which has become a symbol of Christian nationalism and false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. (The supporters of the Pine Tree Flag disagreed that the flags could be mistaken for each other.)
Richard Spear said the proposed flag does not fully capture Maine’s unique character, including its “iconic Atlantic coastline,” or pay tribute to Civil War veterans like the current flag.
Anna Schaeffer, a graduate student at the University of Southern Maine’s Portland campus, told the Press Herald last week that her most controversial decision was voting against the flag.
“I think this is probably my best opinion, I voted against the new flag,” she said. “It’s so cartoonish, it just looks like a T-shirt design to me.”
Voters who spoke to the Portland Press Herald on Election Day covered the spectrum, dividing Mainers regardless of political party.
In Gorham it even divided couples. Andrea Chadburn told a reporter on Tuesday that she found the measure expensive and pointless. Her husband, Scott, said he voted for it.
“As a kid, I failed a school test because I couldn’t draw it,” Scott Chadburn said. “But give me a pine tree, a star, I can do that! So yes, I say change it.”
Many said they were happy to see something light-hearted and deeply local on the ballot in an otherwise contentious presidential election.
Former Democratic State Rep. Sean Paulhaus, who sponsored the 2023 legislation that created the referendum, said Wednesday he was humbled by the momentum he saw leading up to the election.
Although the referendum did not pass, Paulhaus believes the referendum taught people about the history of the flag and how elections work. It included all Mainers, even those who are too young to vote in the election but were allowed to voice their opinions during the Secretary of State’s competition for the Pine Tree Flag design.
“It was definitely a journey,” Paulhaus said. “Would I have liked to see it pass? Of course, but I understand that’s how Mainers decided. But I think there were still a large number of people who supported it.”
Martucci said he felt the contest was too confusing and that voters were being misled. He disputed concerns about costs and said the referendum would not require Maine citizens to purchase the flag.
Legislative staff have previously said state agencies would bear most of the costs to replace the flag within their existing budgets. (The state regularly replaces flags when they become worn and frayed, according to the budget document on LD 86, the bill that proposed the change by referendum.)
For Martucci, the battle is not over yet. He said he will continue to advocate for the Pine Tree Flag to become official.
“I think Maine was unique because we had a great flag design that we abandoned in 1909 – anyway it was clear to me and other people who liked the flag design that that was a design worth going back to times,” Martucci said. .
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