Washington state flag, flying in between the Legislative building and the Temple of Justice on Feb. 18, 2025. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard)
There’s controversy gusting through the Washington Legislature over a proposed redesign of the state flag.
House Bill 1938, sponsored by Rep. Strom Peterson, D-Edmonds, would create a committee to come up with the redesign by 2028.
“[We’re] not asking to remove George Washington from the history of Washington state,” Peterson said. “This is more about the aesthetics of the flag and what the flag could represent to bring people across the state together.”
Peterson says the current design is plain and this proposal is an opportunity to create civic engagement, highlight Washington’s rich agricultural diversity, and create a sense of pride.
Republicans don’t see it that way and are deriding the bill as “un-American.”
The North American Vexillological Association — vexillology is the study of flags — identifies five elements that make a good state flag: simplicity, including symbols meaningful to the state, limiting colors, not relying on lettering or seals, and not resembling any other state’s flag.
Washington’s current flag features a portrait of George Washington, the first president of the United States, set against a green backdrop. George Washington’s image is surrounded by a yellow circle with text that reads: The Seal of the State of Washington 1889. The state flag is the only one in the nation with a green background and the only one with a portrait of a past president.
Washington became the 42nd state in the U.S. on Nov. 11, 1889. Originally, the state was supposed to be named Columbia, but the name was changed to avoid confusion with the District of Columbia. The move backfired since it can still be confusing when someone is referring to Washington state or Washington, D.C.
In 1915, a design for the state flag was submitted to the Legislature but it wasn’t until 1923 that the state flag was officially adopted. The green area of the flag is said to represent the green fields of western Washington and the gold ring in the seal represents the wheat fields of eastern Washington.
Peterson’s bill calls for the redesign committee to include state lawmakers from both parties, the director of the state arts commission, the secretary of state, historians, cultural leaders, tribal members, and citizens.
This group would be responsible for gathering public feedback, settling on five potential flag designs and choosing a final recommended design by mid-2028.
Before being officially adopted as the state’s new banner, voters would have to approve the redesign through a referendum.
Preliminary estimates show the flag redesign effort would cost upward of $2.3 million.
Other states — including Utah, Minnesota and Maine — have recently changed their state flags or put forward measures to redesign them.
Rep. Hunter Abell, R-Inchelium, is among the Republicans opposed to the Washington redesign. He recently introduced House Bill 1446, which would rename Presidents’ Day as George Washington’s Birthday (observed). The state-recognized holiday is observed each year on the third Monday in February.
“To be the only state in the nation to be named after a president is a distinct honor,” Abell said. “One that we should not take for granted and we certainly should not be ashamed of or attempt to eliminate him from our flag.”
Even though Presidents’ Day is the most common name used today at the federal and state levels, Congress never officially changed the holiday’s name, so technically it remains Washington’s Birthday. The holiday also never falls on the former president’s actual birthday.
Abell said the purpose of his bill is to bring clarity to the holiday and return it to its original purpose because the state’s responsibility should be to safeguard and honor Washington’s life. He expressed concerns that Democrats could be looking to revamp more than just the flag.
“It makes me wonder if this is the beginning of an effort to change the name of our state,” Abell said. “If we remove George Washington from the flag, what’s next? Removing him from our state entirely by changing the name?”
While the flag redesign bill has received a lot of attention, Democratic leadership has indicated that it’s unlikely to move this year given other priorities.