The grave of my hometown hero and @MomsDemand soul sister Susan B. Anthony. Somewhere she is smiling. #Election2016#electionday#vote2016pic.twitter.com/VNy0IlEWU6
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) November 8, 2016
#Today’sTheDay — it’s Election Day in the US and more people have participated in early voted than ever before. More than 46 million Americans cast early ballots, and millions more are showing up at polls today.
Read More: It's Here! US Heads to the Polls to Elect the Next President
There’s also another location where people are congregating. This one, however, is less expected than the polls. It’s Susan B. Anthony’s grave at Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester, New York.
Voters are placing their “I voted” stickers on the grave site of one of the earliest champions for women’s right to vote.
Susan B. Anthony's grave has gotten the full election makeover. https://t.co/FqOwsoGbigpic.twitter.com/pMuecK9NcH
— Matt Pearce (@mattdpearce) November 8, 2016
People are flocking to Susan B. Anthony's grave at Mount Hope Cemetery. @john_kucko is live here: https://t.co/WNkvr7lrUk#ROCpic.twitter.com/iBv8Kd9k3p
— News 8 - WROC-TV (@News_8) November 8, 2016
Susan B Anthony's tombstone at 9:15. And the people keep coming. #Vote2016pic.twitter.com/zBG22YymHe
— Ashley Doerzbacher (@AshleyD_News) November 8, 2016
This is not a line to vote; it's a line to see Susan B. Anthony's gravesite. #Election2016pic.twitter.com/xUd44WpJgj
— Patrick Thornton (@pwthornton) November 8, 2016
The scene at Susan B. Anthony's grave. And it's a scene. pic.twitter.com/mgQNwmsB9f
— Sarah Maslin Nir (@SarahMaslinNir) November 8, 2016
With the first female candidate running for president for a major party in the US, and this being the 100-year-anniversary of Anthony’s death, many were inspired to commemorate her courageous history in the suffragette movement.
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While Anthony died 14 years before women gained the right to vote in 1920, she dedicated her life to the cause.
She did, however, vote illegally voting during her lifetime. In 1872, she convinced an election official in Rochester to let her vote and cast a ballot for Ulysses S. Grant. She was arrested two weeks later. That experience only amplified her voice and call to pass the right to vote for women.
“There never will be complete equality until women themselves help to make laws and elect lawmakers.” — Susan B. Anthony
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It’s not the first time people are paying their respects during election season to Susan B. Anthony. However this time the impact can be seen on all generations. The image below is evidence of just that, as a mother tells her two young daughters they can one day be president.
A mom brought her 2 little daughters to statue of Susan B. Anthony in Rochester whispering they could be president pic.twitter.com/Lad5cc93Ad
— Sarah Maslin Nir (@SarahMaslinNir) November 7, 2016
It’s inspiring to see young girls who not only have strong historical female role models, but also the evidence to believe they can be president now that the US.
Visiting the grave is so popular this year that the cemetery is staying open past their usual closing time of 5 p.m. until 9 p.m.
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Let’s hope other locations have the same mentality to make voting as easy and open a process as Mount Hope and honor Susan B. Anthony.