Deal unveils new Georgia license plate

ATLANTA — State officials this week unveiled the state’s new license plate design following a statewide contest to pick the new look.

Forsyth resident Linda Sosebee designed the new plate which is scheduled to start production in the fall, officials said. The new plate was selected by Georgia residents as part of the Department of Revenue’s 2011 License Plate Design Contest; the winning plate received 34,154 votes with the second place finisher garnered 15,380 votes.

“After hundreds of thousands of votes were cast, we are pleased to announce the winning design,” Gov. Nathan Deal said in a news release. “All of the semifinalists submitted great designs that would reflect well on our state, but the winning plate was the clear favorite among voters. I congratulate Linda Sosebee on being named the winner.”

State officials were forced to redo the contest this summer following confusion over the contest.

According to the official news release:

Sosebee has created many large-scale murals for the Department of Corrections, the Forsyth-Monroe County Chamber of Commerce, several hospitals and private practices and has also designed logos for businesses and corporations. She and her husband, Hugh, have one son.

Georgia’s new general issue license plate will incorporate a “digital” (flat) design, meaning it won’t have raised numbers and letters. This 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 “flat” plate technology will afford easier identification by Georgia law enforcement.

Georgia taxpayers will not incur any added expense for production of the new license plates and will also have the option of selecting a plain tag. During the owner’s registration period, the department will begin replacing existing license plates once the plate has exceeded the minimum five-year life as set forth by the Georgia Code. O.C.G.A. § 40-2-31.