Places with partisan vote counting can avoid problems with this kind of thing by having partisans for multiple parties working on the same ballots, perhaps with a neutral overseer.

In Australia, the votes are counted by paid volunteers, but each party has scrutineers overseeing the counting.

Yeah, that’s a horrible idea. It’s the same reason most cities elect mayors but hire city managers, and why we try to pay legislators a decent salary. Otherwise only people with nothing else to do can afford to become politicians or count votes.

I did count votes a few times in my city: it's just a matter of 1 or 2h hours of your time on a sunday evening right after the vote is closed(6->8pm). And many people of all ages participate. Here we just see it a civic duty, like voting itself…