Although she never had the right to cast a vote herself, many Americans made an Election Day pilgrimage to Susan B. Anthony’s gravesite in honor of the pioneering activist who fought for women’s suffrage.
Since early voting commenced in October, voters have been paying their respects to Anthony by decorating her tombstone with stickers.
The tributes came as Hillary Clinton accepted the Democratic presidential nomination this summer — the first time in U.S. history a woman won such a nod from a major political party.
The Rochester, New York, gravesite has long been a hot destination during election season and is particularly popular on Election Day.
Because of the site’s popularity, the cemetery will remain open until 9 p.m. Tuesday. It usually closes at 5:30 p.m.
Brynn Hunt, a Rochester resident and first-time voter, was one of many to visit the site Tuesday morning.
“I voted today because of women like her,” she said.
Hunt said she wore white in honor of women’s suffrage.
Early Tuesday, hundreds of people began to form to thank Anthony for her efforts.
The line, much like the lines to vote, is long. Jes Karakashian noted that the line “wraps around twice.”
“I’ve never seen anything like this before in my life,” she said.
Despite the long wait, said visitor Max Bourgeois, the mood was peaceful, proud and respectful.
Anthony died in 1906, 14 years before women got the right to vote. But a sign near her tombstone read “Sisters, take the wheel,” expresses voters’ ongoing sentiment: There is still a lot of work to do, but there are a lot of women to do it.
“We are proud of the unique legacy in the fight for equality that Ms. Anthony, along with Frederick Douglass and others, has given our city and I can imagine she would have wanted to be a part of the significant history this year’s election holds for women,” Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren said in a statement.
“It’s only proper that we invite Ms. Anthony to be a part of this important moment.”