People are Covering Susan B. Anthony’s Grave in ‘I Voted’ Stickers, and the Cemetery Loves It

ByElizabeth Licata

 

It’s election day in the U.S., and while we’re all white-knuckling it through the rest of the day, we can take some heart in the knowledge that women in Rochester, New York, have been covering the headstone of Susan B. Anthony in little “I Voted” stickers, and the cemetery thinks that’s great.

Putting “I Voted” stickers on Anthony’s grave is not an entirely new development. Anthony was born in 1820 and died in 1906 and she was never legally allowed to vote in her lifetime. In 1872, she was even arrested for casting a vote in the presidential election. Now, in recent elections, people have taken to honoring Anthony by putting their “I Voted” stickers on her headstones after casting their votes.

The mayor of Rochester said that putting the stickers on Anthony’s headstone was a “rite of passage for many citizens.” This year it’s an even bigger deal, and people have been coming out in droves to give Anthony their stickers, because in 2016 a woman is running for president as the representative of a major party. When Anthony died, women still couldn’t vote. Now women can be president.

Rather than shooing people away from Anthony’s headstone, the cemetery has been allowing people to post their stickers. This year, according to The Cut, Mount Hope Cemetery even staying open late to accommodate people who vote after work. Normally the cemetery closes at 5:30, but today it will stay open until after the polls close so that everyone will have time to come give Anthony their stickers.

”With this year’s historically significant election, it seems right to extend that opportunity until the polls close,” the mayor said.

The cemetery has installed lights for the occasion, but people are advised to bring flashlights.

It’s insane to think that the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote wasn’t passed until 1920. That’s crazy. 1920 doesn’t even seem like that long ago. There are people alive now who were born before women were allowed to vote. Some of them are voting today.

 Go Minerva! Cast that vote.

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