Where to sit?
Every state draws a line.
Every state sets a legal buffer around its polling places. Learn the distance for your state and county, so you can sit and knit peacefully outside that boundary.
Campaigning
Every state bans campaigning within its buffer distance. That means no signs, no soliciting votes, no handing out material. It's safest to stay beyond that distance, but if you're within it, take extra care and avoid anything at all that could read as campaigning.
Lingering / Loitering
A number of states have statutory rules against lingering or loitering near a polling place, separate from and in addition to the campaigning distance. Make sure to confirm with your county clerk that your chosen spot to sit is legal.
Confirm with your county clerk before Election Day.
The information presented here is correct as far as we understand it, but we are not lawyers and this is not legal advice. Confirming the laws for your chosen polling area is essential.