Secretary of State Shenna Bellows unveiled a new state flag design Monday that will go before voters in November.

After reviewing more than 400 submissions from 42 different states and a handful of countries, Bellows chose a design by Adam Lemire of Gardiner.

During the unveiling in Bellows’ office, Lemire said the white pine in the center of the flag is based on a tree in Governor’s Grove at Viles Arboretum in Augusta.

The tree on the flag features 16 branches to represent Maine’s 16 counties, and as he was drawing them, Lemire said he felt they are also emblematic of the many peninsulas along the coast.

“I’m a hiker, I love trees of all types,” he said. “I’m a designer, an architect in Auburn, Maine. I thought this was just a great opportunity the state opened up to people here and apparently across the world submissions came in. I love flag design.”

Voters on Nov. 5 will be asked to decide whether to replace the current flag with the design produced by Lemire.

In January, “An Act to Restore the Former State of Maine Flag” became law. It set out specific requirements for the design, including that it must be buff colored with a pine tree in the center and a North Star with five points in the upper corner.

And while the law specified the flag’s design, it also leaves it up to the voters to decide whether to stick with the current flag or adopt a new one.

The current blue flag with the state seal flanked by a farmer and a fisherman dates to 1909. The pine tree design goes back to 1901 and has gained popularity in recent years.

Bellows said voters will be able to compare the two flags in the voter guide when it is published next month. The flag question will appear as Question 5 on the Nov. 5 ballot and follows three bond questions and a citizen initiative to restrict spending by certain political action committees.

Bellows said a committee with Democrats and Republicans endorsed Lemire’s design.

“I think that unity in this process is really important,” she said. “The symbols that represent our state, whether it is 1901 in its modern incarnation or 1909, are important because they unify us as Mainers. They remind us of our heritage, of the things we treasure, like the Eastern white pine and North Star in the night sky.”