Carrying on Election Day tradition, voters place stickers at gravesite of Susan B. Anthony

For years now, Rochester has been the home of an Election Day tradition centered around one of the country’s most iconic women.

Each year, hundreds if not thousands of voters flock to Mount Hope Cemetery to visit the grave of women’s rights activist and suffragist Susan B. Anthony.

Voters place their ‘I Voted’ stickers on the headstone of Anthony’s grave in honor of her legacy, often swapping stories with fellow voters who came to pay their respects on the first Tuesday of November.

Voters place hundreds of ‘I Voted’ stickers on the gravesite of Susan B. Anthony in Mt. Hope Cemetery in Rochester, N.Y. (WHAM photo)

This year, cemetery officials erected a plexiglass covering to protect the headstone from the residue left by the stickers and the weather elements in general.

2020 also marks a significant milestone for the United States with the centennial anniversary of women being given the right to vote after the 19th Amendment was ratified in August 1920.

Kisha dressed up as a suffragette – an idea she came up with as a way to remember the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment being ratified.

“I think of all the women who came before me who fought so hard to have the right to vote,” Kisha said.

A number of parents stood in line with their kids this Election Day, who say they wanted to teach them the importance of visiting at an early age.

“Raising two boys, it’s important to us. They learn a lot about women’s rights and what has been fought for them and what fighting still needs to happen,” said Caity Irwin of Rochester.

“I asked my daughter today what we were going to do and she ran into my room and said, “We’re going to go voting today!” said Emily O’Banion of Rochester, “I think we’re just really proud to be a part of this Rochester community and to have this history here and to continue to move that history forward.”

Mt. Hope Cemetery will remain open to visitors until 9 p.m. All visitors are required to wear masks and practice social distancing by remaining six or more away from people visiting the gravesite.