State pride is in ample supply here. Residents brag about their unique unicameral Legislature, where lawmakers do not caucus by party, and frequently don scarlet Nebraska T-shirts celebrating the state’s flagship university and its football team, the Cornhuskers.

Image A proposed design for the Nebraska flag submitted by Mike Bruening. Credit... Mike Bruening, via Skillshare

But few seem entranced by the flag, which was adopted in 1925 by superimposing the state seal on a blue background.

Critics say the flag tries to convey too much information, making it hard to decipher from a distance. For a single piece of cloth, there is a lot going on. The flag lists the date of statehood (March 1, 1867) and the state motto (Equality Before the Law) alongside a steamboat, the Missouri River, a cabin, a train, cornstalks and a man wielding a hammer, among other features.

“We don’t have anything that says ‘Oh, hey, that represents Nebraska,’” said Mr. Harr, who cited South Carolina’s iconic palmetto tree and crescent as a successful state flag.