On Election Day, a steady stream of voters made their way to Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester to pay tribute to Susan B. Anthony, one of the most iconic figures in the fight for women’s suffrage.
For many, visiting her grave and placing "I Voted" stickers on her headstone has become an Election Day tradition, a gesture that reflects both personal and collective gratitude for the hard-won right to vote.
Sue Ladwig, one of the visitors, described the experience as hopeful, though mixed with a certain tension.
“Very hopeful and anxiety-provoking at the same time,” she said. “But I was proud to mark my ballot. It's hard to believe that 100 years ago, women couldn't do this. And here we are.”
The 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote, was ratified in 1920 — 14 years after Anthony’s death. Since then, Anthony’s grave site has become a focal point on Election Day, drawing countless visitors who come to honor her pivotal role in the fight for suffrage and to reflect on the progress of voting rights.
For others, the visit to Anthony’s grave connects them to personal family histories. Sue’s husband, John Ladwig, choked up as he shared his grandmother’s story.
“My grandmother, born in 1887, was 31 years old before she could vote,” he said. “Until she was 87 years old, she would walk more than a block and a half to vote after that. So, yeah, it means a lot to me.”
For first-time voter Pilar Guido, a University of Rochester sophomore studying political science, the moment carried both a sense of responsibility and history.
“I hope that people understand how important this election is and how consequences will affect [us] decades later,” she said. “And I hope that people vote knowing the future is at stake today.”
Guido’s family had instilled in her the importance of voting from a young age, she said.
“Women like Susan B. Anthony have fought for me as a woman for the right to vote. And it's just really important to exercise that today and every year,” Guido said.
Some younger visitors also expressed how Anthony’s legacy influences their hopes for the future. Fourteen-year-old Sebastian Jones visited the grave site with his mother, Courtney, and his 11-year-old sister, Arabella.
“I think it's a very important thing to have a very big historical figure here and to be able to pay our respects to Susan B. Anthony,” Sebastian said.
Courtney Jones said their family started what they now consider a tradition during the last presidential election.
“I actually brought both the kids here in 2020. It was during the COVID shutdown, and they were doing remote school,” she said. “Thought we'd continue that tradition this year, especially with a female on the ballot again.”
Anthony was laid to rest at Mount Hope Cemetery in 1906, after a lifetime devoted to the causes of suffrage, abolition, and equality. Although she never lived to see the passage of the 19th Amendment, her legacy endures.
And for young visitors like Sebastian, that legacy sparks hope for what lies ahead.
“I hope that it just gets filled with happiness and kindness and just becomes better overall,” he said.
