We often tell children learning to play a game that it does not matter if you win or lose, but how you play.

In the end, it is the effort shown and sportsmanship displayed that matters more than the outcome. 

But while that may be true for young athletes, this is not the case for the game that will be played out Tuesday.

This time, the results matter.

When voters in Mississippi head to the polls there will be little doubt which presidential candidate will receive the state’s electoral votes. Mississippi is a red state, almost assuredly to support the re-election bid of President Trump. Locally, it is even less of a question of what will happen in our District 2 Congressional race, as the incumbent Benny Thompson is expected to easily win a return trip to Washington, D.C.

And while those races on the local and state level are not in doubt, there is one key race; one large decision voters in Mississippi must decide. And, it is one of historic proportions and consequences. In this vote, the result matters.

Tuesday, when voters go to the polls, they will have the chance to shape Mississippi’s image for generations. Will they support the “In God We Trust” flag, or will they not?

It is with our strongest endorsement — and hope — that voters approve the new state flag in overwhelming fashion.

It is important for Mississippi that we show the rest of the country and the world that we have moved on from the darker parts of our history and are a state defined by the character of our soul. 

For far too long, the previous flag had literally and figuratively been held over our heads as a way to set us back, set us apart from a South that was growing. No longer. We know our true worth. We know what kind of people we are and the future that we both want and are making.

The results matter. 

In an election that has brought about so much division, this one item — on our ballot — is one that should unite all Mississippians. Vote yes Tuesday for Mississippi’s new flag — a flag that best represents Mississippi — the “In God We Trust” flag.