This story has been updated to reflect the Senate vote that occurred later Friday.
AUGUSTA, Maine — After initially defeating a proposal Friday to push a state flag referendum to 2026, the Maine Senate reversed itself later in the evening and approved the plan.
After each chamber advanced it in April, the Senate initially voted 12-20 on Friday afternoon to not give final approval to the measure from House Majority Leader Mo Terry, D-Gorham, that would have delayed the state flag referendum for two years and created a five-member commission to assist the secretary of state in creating a design to replace the current version featuring the state seal.
But the Senate reconsidered its vote Friday evening and passed the measure by an 18-12 margin.
The current flag featuring the state seal, a pine tree, moose, farmer and seaman on a blue background has been in place since 1909, but lawmakers passed last year a plan to let Maine voters decide on changing the flag back to the 1901 design featuring a pine tree and blue star on a buff background.
That came after passionate debate last year on the state flag and which design best captures what it means to be a Mainer. Lawmakers approved a bill from then-Rep. Sean Paulhus, D-Bath, last year with an amendment from Sen. Eric Brakey, R-Auburn, to toss the question to voters. The Legislature had defeated similar bills on several occasions since 1991.
But while Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, initially moved to have the referendum occur this year, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, also a Democrat, testified in support of moving it to November 2026 after reaching out to her peer in Minnesota, which established a commission that met for 15 weeks before settling on a new state flag design in December.
The Legislature’s budget committee approved Terry’s plan along with funding for 79 other bills earlier this week. The bill needed no additional money, with any new costs associated with the secretary of state’s office to create the commission deemed “minor” in a fiscal note.
The Senate had to sign off on those budget committee decisions lawmakers adjourned for the year around 10 p.m. Friday. Earlier in the day, lawmakers also failed to override any of the governor’s eight vetoes.
