Design process for new Mississippi flag moving quickly

A commission has whittled down a list of proposed designs for a new Mississippi flag from nearly 3,000 to 147. The commission will choose the final five designs on Friday.

Designs eliminated include those with beer cans, crawfish, Elvis, and Kermit the Frog. The Department of Archives and History posted remaining designs online Monday. Many have magnolias and stars. One has a giant mosquito.

Mississippi recently retired the last state flag with the Confederate battle emblem that’s widely condemned as racist. The new flag cannot include the Confederate symbol and must have “In God we Trust.”

The commission will put one design on the November ballot and voters will choose whether to adopt it as the official flag.