After 'God' Flap, A Winner

Gov. Nathan Deal, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and State Revenue Commissioner Douglas MacGinnitie unveiled Georgia's new license plate design this afternoon.

Out of 500 entries and eight finalists, Forsyth's Linda Sosebee garnered the most online votes for her "Peach State" design.

"All of the semifinalists submitted great designs that would reflect well on our state," Deal said, "but the winning plate was the clear favorite among voters," with 34,154 votes.

The second-place design, also Sosebee's, received 15,380 votes.

The announcement was supposed to come more than a month ago, but officials scrapped those plans after confusion over an optional "In God We Trust" sticker arose.

Three of the eight finalists in Georgia's online license plate design contest contained the phrase and some people thought it was a new, permanent feature.

A law that went into effect Jan. 1 merely gives motorists the option to buy a sticker reading "In God We Trust" to place in the spot normally reserved for the county name.

The Department of Revenue discarded the original results and reopened online voting on July 18—without "In God We Trust" on the plates. The contest ended Aug. 8.

Production on the new plate will begin in the fall. Rather than raised numbers and letters, the new plate will incoporate a flat, digital design.

"The new production process will result in a cost savings to the state and allow customers the option of having their license plate delivered to them instead of having to go to a county tag office," the governor's office said in a release.

Open the PDF on this page for additional details.