What is it like to work at a polling site on election day?

It all depends on the country. Polling sites at tensely contested elections can be hazardous. Examples of this would be those in Afghanistan, Thailand, the Philippines. Military and/or police presence are a typical sight at these countries’ polling sites. In the US, polling sites are no big deal.

Well I am in the UK, and have worked as a counter, when the votes come in from the various voting sites.
It is a really exciting experience. When the boxes arrive, the candidates rush over to your counter, and watch your every move. You can feel the tension in the room.
I did the counting for many years, and loved every minute of it.
It might be different in other countries.

I have worked as a Dem.volunteer at the polls for years. We register votes, show people how to use the machines and cross people off our list from the county election headquarters. Periodically, other volunteers call the voters who have not yet showed up to see whether they need a ride. Drivers are available.

With under 1000 registered voters, there is friendly banter on both sides of the aisles. It is fun.

MY job is unpaid and lasts for 3 hours; the people who sit there from 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM and then tally the votes and read the absentee ballots are trained and paid and legally responsible for fraudless election days.

i worked at one a few times but i didn’t live in a big city or anything so it wasn’t crazy. it was actually pretty dull, but fun at the same time. there is always candy that you’re giving out so you have something to munch on….and if the weather is nice, it’s a day of sitting outside and enjoying it. there weren’t a ton of voters at the ones i have worked at so it was low traffic and laid back. i can imagine some get pretty intense though.

I worked at the last U.S. Presidential Election.

Depending on your community’s size, it could either be crazy or boring. My community was large enough for us to have to take it seriously, but not so large that I was busy all day. Mostly it was tedious putting-this-sticker-on-these-pages-and-make-sure-the-barcodes-match, or going over why a person couldn’t vote at this polling place, because they didn’t live in its jurisdiction.

Be ready for a long day, possibly. I think I worked from 5 A.M. to 10 P.M.

I was judge of elections for a couple elections in Pennsylvania. You get to meet the neighbors you haven’t seen for a year and have a hectic night ,after the polls close, and you can rush the ballots to the county court house without being irritated by the police. Federal law prevents them from interfering the transfer of votes to the elections board. Of course you don’t want to meet the same cop on the way back home.