The debate over what symbol will represent us has divided our state and continues to divide our state. As I have said many times during the last year, to begin a new day in Georgia we must have a healing process. That process begins with giving the people a say-a voice-a vote on the symbol that represents them. I'm willing to trust the people of Georgia to make the best decision for Georgia, and I trust you are too. Let us decide ... and let us move forward.

  - Governor Sonny Perdue State of the State Address

Governor Perdue Details Plans for Flag Referendum Proposes Democratic Process to Choose State Symbol

Governor Sonny Perdue today announced plans to hold a statewide referendum on the flag, following through on a campaign promise to allow citizens an opportunity to have their voices heard on the issue.

In 2001, the Barnes/Taylor/Coleman team used strong-arm tactics to push a bill to change the state flag through the General Assembly. The politically motivated move only further divided Georgians.

The Governor will encourage Georgians to take an active role in deciding what is best for our state. Rather than stifling public discourse, Perdue will call for a series of public forums, allowing the public to share their opinions on the issue.

Governor Perdue's plan calls for a statewide referendum to take place in conjunction with the Presidential Preference Primary, to be held Tuesday, March 2, 2004. The vote will feature two questions. The first will be an up-or-down vote on the current state flag. There will also be a question allowing voters to decide which alternative design they prefer.

Talking Points

Background In the 2001 session, the Barnes/Taylor/Coleman team pushed through a new flag, without allowing public input on the design The politically motivated decision only served to further divide Georgians, rather than bring us together

Throughout his campaign, Governor Perdue called for a statewide referendum, to allow Georgians to have a voice to help determine what flag flies over our state Our leaders should have confidence in the people of Georgia to decide the best path for our state Listening to the People 

The Governor will hold a series of public forums across the state, allowing citizens input into the process The 2001 flag change, which was conducted behind closed doors, stifled public debate and input, and further alienated citizens from the process 

The Governor will call on Georgians to provide input and ideas to move our state forward By promoting discussion, we can help foster a healing process and bring greater understanding between all sides in the debate 

A Statewide Referendum 

Governor Perdue will call for a statewide referendum to take place in conjunction with the Presidential Preference Primary on March 2, 2004 

The first question on the ballot will be a vote on whether to keep the current state flag There will also be a choice on alternatives to the flag, with alternatives including the pre-1956 flag and 1956-2001 flag 

The referendum will allow all Georgians to have their voices heard on the flag issue, finally giving closure to the issue

Having the People's Voice Heard 

The process proposed by Governor Perdue will require approval by a simple majority of the General Assembly A so-called "binding referendum" would need a constitutional amendment, requiring 2/3 of members of both houses of the General Assembly, along with a special vote by the citizens of Georgia 

The referendum proposed by the Governor will be binding in practice: the General Assembly would be ill advised to ignore the will of the people who put them in office 

Facing Our Challenges and Moving Forward 

The state flag represents all Georgians, and should be a symbol that unites our state, not one that divides us The heavy-handed methods of the past have only resulted in more controversy and anger concerning the flag 

A referendum will allow Georgia to face this question head-on, and finally heal from this debate 

The Governor is following-through on his campaign promises to allow the citizens to have a voice in the process to help foster healing in our state and allow us to move forward together

How the Flag Preference Referendum Works 

The bill provides for a flag preference referendum election to be held on the date of the 2004 presidential preference primary. The flag preference referendum will put two questions before the voters:

Question No. 1 "Should the current flag of the State of Georgia be changed?"

"Current Georgia State Flag"

Question 1 is a straight yes or no vote on whether to change (Yes) or retain (No) the current Georgia state flag, which was adopted in 2001.

 Question No. 2 "If the 'Current Georgia State Flag' were to be changed, select which of the following two flags you would favor. Vote for only one of the options below:"

	"Pre-1956 Georgia State Flag"
	"Post-1956 Georgia State Flag"

 Question 2 asks each voter to express a preference between the Pre-1956 Flag and the Post-1956 Flag, regardless of how you vote on Question 1.

The Secretary of State will count and certify the results for Question 1 and Question 2 separately and report the results to the Governor and the General Assembly.

Resolution After The Vote

How the Flag Preference Referendum Will Resolve the Flag Issue After the flag preference referendum is held, the voters of Georgia will have directly expressed their preference among the main options for a state flag. Because the flag preference referendum will be held on the date of the 2004 presidential preference primary, the General Assembly should still be in session and will be able to act immediately to carry out the will of the voters.

If a majority votes in Question 1 in favor of changing the current state flag, the General Assembly can look to the results of Question 2 to see which flag a majority of the voters would prefer in its place. There are three possible outcomes to the flag preference referendum.

But regardless of the outcome of the flag preference referendum, one flag design and only one flag design will have the endorsement of a majority of Georgia voters:

	Possible Outcome 1: A majority votes in Question 1 against changing the current state flag. The current flag wins the endorsement of the voters and the General Assembly need take no further action to comply with the will of the people.
	Possible Outcome 2: The current flag is rejected in Question 1. On Question 2, the Pre-1956 Flag gets more votes than the Post-1956 Flag, winning the endorsement of a majority of the voters. The General Assembly can enact legislation to adopt that flag design.
	Possible Outcome 3: The current flag is rejected in Question 1. On Question 2, the Post-1956 Flag gets more votes than the Pre-1956 Flag, winning the endorsement of a majority of the voters. The General Assembly can enact legislation to adopt that flag design.

Under our State Constitution, the General Assembly has the final legal responsibility for setting the design of the state flag. However, the flag preference referendum will allow the people of Georgia to communicate clearly and directly to their elected representatives which flag the people prefer.

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