Rochester Residents to Honor Historic Election at Susan B. Anthony's Grave

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Courtesy Mari Tsuchiya and Jack Werren(ROCHESTER, N.Y.) — One hundred and forty-four years ago, a woman named Susan B. Anthony was arrested for voting in a presidential election.

On Tuesday, millions of women will vote for the first woman to run as the nominee of a major political party.

Anthony’s home city of Rochester, New York plans to honor her role in the movement for women’s right to vote on Tuesday. It has become a bit of a tradition in Rochester to place “I Voted” stickers on Anthony’s grave but a spokeswoman for the city said they expect a lot more people to stop by given the historic nature of the election this year.

The cemetery plans to stay open late so people can stop by after the polls close and the city will be handing out special stickers to honor Anthony.

Dozens of women visited the suffragette’s grave to leave flowers or their “I Voted” stickers when Hillary Clinton became the Democratic nominee earlier this year and even more are expected after Election Day. Some women, such as Elissa Blattman and her mother, have already gone to Anthony’s grave to pay tribute.

“Ever since I first found out about people putting their ‘I Voted’ stickers on Susan B. Anthony’s grave, it has been on my bucket list to do the same,” Blattman told ABC News.

So she and her mother drove more than 350 miles from Rockville, Maryland, to Rochester, New York, to honor the suffragette.

“Words cannot express how glad I am that I got to pay tribute to her in this way, using the sticker I received after voting for the potential first woman president,” she said.

Deborah Roberts, director of the Susan B. Anthony Historic House and Museum, said people have been traveling from out of state or mailing in their stickers to honor Anthony. The museum expects even more by the end of the week after more people have voted, she added.

She said the museum will keep the stickers as part of the collection, as well as signs put up by the city for people to write messages to Anthony.

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