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Not everyone has been a fan of the official Minnesota flag since its redesign and adoption two years ago.

The new flag features simpler colors and shapes than the prior one, called the “1983 flag.” It featured the old state seal and was replaced, in part, because some criticized its depiction of a white farmer tilling land as a Native American man rides off into the sunset.

In early 2024, several counties voted against the redesign process. A few towns later voted to continue flying the old flag.

But opposition has ramped up in recent months, with cities around the state facing pressure to take a stance on which flag represents Minnesota. At least 20 city councils have discussed the issue since the start of the year.

Here’s what to know about the phenomenon.

What cities are flying the old state flag?

MPR News used AI tools LocalLens and ChatGPT to identify cities and towns across Minnesota where city councils discussed the state flag or local news outlets covered debates around the flag and then verified each instance. It’s possible there are more areas debating the flag than are covered in this story.

As of May 12, at least 16 cities in the Twin Cities metro area and Greater Minnesota have voted to fly the old flag. Of those, 13 cities made that call since the start of this year.

Additionally, Melrose and Pequot Lakes previously decided to fly the old flag without taking official action.

Minnesota cities flying the old state flag

State law doesn’t require municipalities to fly the official flag, so it’s at their discretion.

Meanwhile, other cities held discussions around the flag issue and decided to formally adopt the new flag, not take action or not fly any flag.

There isn’t one clear reason that debate around the flag has skyrocketed this year.

At council meetings statewide in recent months, city leaders report that residents are reaching out to express their opposition to — and support of — the official state flag, compelling them to take action.

There seems to be a political element. Many who want to fly the old flag have expressed frustration with the fact that the redesign process happened at the state level without a democratic vote. Changes to the state flag and seal took place under a DFL-led state legislature in 2023 and have garnered 

But overwhelmingly, critics online and in person reference the official flag’s similarities with the Somali flag, which is light blue and has a white star.

“It's the Minnesota Somali flag. We all know that ... and it’s leaving a bad taste in residents’ mouths,” said one Nowthen resident at a Feb. 10 city council meeting.

Right-wing content creator Nick Shirley referenced the resemblance to the Somali flag in his viral video about fraud in Minneapolis last December that caught attention of the Trump administration.

Why did Minnesota redesign its flag? What was the process?

State lawmakers voted to redesign the flag after years of criticism about its outdated imagery, seen as portraying the erasure of Native Minnesotans. The flag was also too complex, making it hard to see from a distance or replicate, according to flag experts.

After 10 separate tries to pass a bill calling for a new state flag and seal, a DFL-led Minnesota Legislature cleared the proposal and Gov. Tim Walz signed it into law in 2023.

The bill established a commission to redesign the state’s emblems. After weeks of deliberation, the 13-member panel picked a finalist from more than 2,000 public submissions and finessed the design into its final form.

The redesigned flag was adopted in May 2024.

Minnesota's state flag redesign: How the process will work

Here’s the final overall design for the new Minnesota state flag — but tweaks are expected

Flag expert calls new Minnesota state flag ‘outstanding,’ top 10 in the country

Let it wave: Minnesota’s new flag takes flight

The flag’s dark blue is meant to represent the sky, with light blue for Minnesota’s abundant waters and a K-shape representing the state’s geographic borders. The white eight-point star evokes Minnesota’s motto “L’étoile du Nord,” which translates to “the star of the north.”

The flag debates continue. The Wyoming City Council and Itasca County Board are among local governments still discussing whether to fly the official or old flag.

On a state level, DFL lawmakers have introduced a bill to reduce funding to cities that do not fly the official flag.

But chief author Rep. Mike Freiberg, DFL-Golden Valley, said it was not intended to be serious and he doesn’t want the bill to pass. He simply wanted to raise awareness around what cities are debating.

“It seems like a manufactured culture war,” Freiberg said. “I think if you did a statistically valid poll of people around the state just asking what they thought, they'd say, ‘It's fine. You know, government should probably be focused on other things.’”

Is your local government joining the flag debate? Share with Feven Gerezgiher at fgerezgiher@mpr.org.

MPR News political correspondent Dana Ferguson contributed reporting.

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Since the start of the year, over a dozen cities have voted to fly the old Minnesota flag instead of the redesigned flag adopted in 2024.

What to know about the movement not to fly the official Minnesota state flag

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