More than 4 million ballots are being distributed by mail this week to Washington state voters in advance of the Aug. 2 primary election, David Ammons of the Secretary of State’s communications office, said.

Kitsap County’s elections division placed 151,200 ballots in the mail on July 13, Steve Gardner, education and outreach coordinator with the county auditor’s office, said.

Another 8,200 Kitsap County ballots were sent earlier to military and overseas rovers, Gardner said, increasing the total number of ballots mailed at 159,400.

Ammons said 671 candidates are running for federal, statewide, legislative, county, judicial and local offices.

Hundreds more are running for Democratic and Republican precinct committee officer.

About 65,000 military and overseas ballots statewide were mailed out by June 18. Ammons said some of those ballots already have been cast and returned to their home counties.

Just how many ballots will be returned for tallying is somewhat of a guessing game, Gardner said.

“In 2012, we had a similar ballot with a U.S. Senate race and statewide executive races,” he said.

“Turnout that year was 41.57 percent. Projecting election turnout is challenging, but we see little reason to stray too much from past results, so we anticipate this election turnout will finish somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 percent.”

Voters will have until Aug. 2 to fill out their ballots and return them via drop boxes, by postal service or in person to the Kitsap County elections office.

Public drop boxes also are available at three South Kitsap locations: Kitsap County Administration Building, 619 Division St., Port Orchard; South Kitsap Fire and Rescue Station 8 at 1974 Fircrest Dr. SE; and SKFR Station 17 at 7990 McCormick Woods Dr. SW, both also in Port Orchard.