Voters remember women’s suffrage advocate Susan B. Anthony with cemetery pilgrimage: Report

On a day which may well see the election of Hillary Clinton as the first woman president of the United States, voters in New York have been paying a pilgrimage to the Rochester grave of Susan B. Anthony.

When the women’s suffrage activist died in 1906, only four states — Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and Idaho — allowed women the right to vote. It wasn’t until 14 years later on August 18, 1920 that the 19th Amendment was ratified, guaranteeing women everywhere in the United States the right to vote. 

“Visiting Susan B. Anthony’s gravesite has become an Election Day rite of passage for many citizens in Rochester and with this year’s historically significant election, it seems right to extend that opportunity until the polls close,” Rochester’s Mayor Lovely A. Warren said, Variety reported.

The Hollywood trade magazine, which made history of its own by issuing its first-ever presidential endorsement in late October for the New York Democrat, reported that folks have been visiting Anthony’s grave Tuesday and leaving their “I voted” stickers on her tombstone.

To mark the occasion, Anthony’s final resting place, Mount Hope Cemetery, has extended visiting hours for Election Day only, NPR reported, citing their burial ground’s official Facebook page.

“All visitors are asked to remember Mount Hope is an active cemetery and to please be respectful,” read the Facebook notice. “Personnel will be on site to assist visitors. After dark (5:30 p.m.), access to Ms. Anthony’s gravesite will be limited to pedestrians and flashlights are recommended. The area containing Ms. Anthony’s grave is in an older portion of the cemetery and can become congested with many visitors.”