Between 550 and 600 people have responded to the Office of Elections call for precinct workers since Wednesday, but with a week to go before the primary election, hundreds more volunteers are still needed.

"We're much closer to the number we need," said Rex Quidilla, state voter services coordinator. "It's a very heartening sign that people have heard the message."

On Tuesday, Quidilla said the state was short 900 volunteers, but now the shortage is closer to 300, assuming everyone who has inquired about volunteering is able to follow through.

However, about 10 percent to 15 percent of volunteers generally drop out at the last minute, so the state could use extra bodies to make sure each of the 353 precincts across the state is fully staffed. "The lion's share of the vacancies are in O'ahu polling places," Quidilla said.

While the state will do its best to put volunteers in the precincts they vote at, some volunteers may be asked to travel farther if their help is badly needed.

If more people don't volunteer, it could mean longer lines at the polls, "but the effect won't be nearly as drastic as being short 900 workers," Quidilla said.

Volunteers are encouraged to sign up as soon as possible, but workers are accepted even on election day, when some voters are asked to stay and work after they've cast their ballots.

"You come to the polling place and you get more than you bargained for," he said.

Volunteers get paid between $85 for a regular worker to $145 for a precinct chairman, with hours stretching from 5:30 a.m. to at least 7 p.m.

Office of Elections staff is hurriedly poring over new intake forms, trying to get the new volunteers signed up for training and assigned to the precincts.

"The process that we're undergoing now is to get more precincts fully staffed," he said.

Reach Treena Shapiro at tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.