Re-Elect Staci Myklebust for Cowlitz County Clerk

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Re-Elect Staci Myklebust for Cowlitz County Clerk 12 years of experience as your County Clerk
Impartiality • Dedication • Trust
Leading with Integrity

📣OPEN HOUSE ALERT📣We are honored and privileged to announce an open house event hosted by Bruce and Gabi Rader next Satu...
09/19/2026

📣OPEN HOUSE ALERT📣

We are honored and privileged to announce an open house event hosted by Bruce and Gabi Rader next Saturday! The Raders are opening their home to allow those interested an opportunity to meet Staci, get to know her, and answer any questions you have about the future of the Clerk’s Office.

When: September 26, 2026 at 5:30pm
Where: 103 Kalama River Rd, Kalama, WA 98625

We’re looking forward to meeting more of our community!

Today, on this 25th anniversary, we pause to honor and remember the innocent lives lost on September 11, 2001. Their fam...
09/12/2026

Today, on this 25th anniversary, we pause to honor and remember the innocent lives lost on September 11, 2001. Their families remain in our thoughts and we are forever grateful to the heroic first responders who risked everything.

"What separates us from the chaos is our ability to mourn people we've never met." -David Levithan

To every hand that builds, creates, teaches, heals, protects, serves, and everything in between—Happy Labor Day. An extr...
09/07/2026

To every hand that builds, creates, teaches, heals, protects, serves, and everything in between—Happy Labor Day. An extra special thank you to those who are working today.

We hope everyone has a safe and happy Labor Day! 🔧🇺🇸

All Superior Court case records are permanently retained by the Clerk and the Clerk’s Office has records dating back to ...
08/27/2026

All Superior Court case records are permanently retained by the Clerk and the Clerk’s Office has records dating back to the 1800s! All records are held according to the Washington Secretary of State Records Retention Schedule which dictates the storage medium, length of storage, and method of destruction.

In addition to scanning all incoming case documents into our case management system, the Clerk’s Office is constantly working on scanning and digitizing old records. From 1994 to 2007, court records were not available digitally and were stored as physical, paper files. In 2007 the Clerk’s Office began scanning documents into Laserfiche. This program allowed us to store documents digitally while maintaining paper files at the same time. Prior to 1994 these records were stored on microfilm. The launch of Odyssey in 2017 resulted in a new way of maintaining case files which meant documents were now stored in a comprehensive case management system which allowed for the judges and court staff to access all case information and documents in one easy place. Because the court accesses these case documents electronically, paper files are no longer created or maintained and the physical documents can be destroyed after proofing. This new system also allowed attorneys and other court users to subscribe to Odyssey Portal and gain access to case documents online. The public can access documents from a public kiosk at the courthouse at no cost!

With recent funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), we successfully converted over 1900 rolls of microfilm, containing 4.7 million pages of case documents to a digital storage medium! With this conversion, documents that were previously difficult to access are now available electronically and are easily accessible to the public using the public kiosk. This work is important to the Clerk’s Office because historical records can degrade with time and it is imperative to preserve them before irreversible damage is done. This is why Clerk staff are continuing to preserve archive records and are actively scanning all remaining paper files currently consisting of over 900 boxes!

The Cowlitz County Clerk is responsible for summonsing jurors for Superior and District Court; approximately 18,000 juro...
08/21/2026

The Cowlitz County Clerk is responsible for summonsing jurors for Superior and District Court; approximately 18,000 jurors per year. A master list of jurors is compiled each year from WA voter registration and WA driver’s license records. Persons receiving a jury summons have been randomly selected from the master list. In Cowlitz County, jurors serve a two-week term and are on-call during this period. Jurors are paid $10/day, as well as mileage (from their home address).

When you are called as a juror, the trial begins with a process called “voir dire” or jury selection. This is when the judge and the attorneys ask questions of the jurors to determine any biases, preconceived notions, knowledge of the parties, etc. Jurors need to be able to set aside personal feelings and prejudices, and keep an open mind when considering the facts presented. If a juror has life experience or special knowledge, it may be difficult for them to remain neutral. As a juror, your job is to listen to all the evidence presented by the attorneys, then “decide the facts”. The judge’s job is to decide the law and make decisions on legal issues that might arise during the trial.

Jury trials have been an important part of the American legal system for over two centuries. Although some may disagree, service as a juror is both a privilege and a duty and, when conscientiously performed, is a mark of good citizenship. Jurors do not need any special skills or legal knowledge, and will be guided through the process by court staff. A fair and impartial trial and the rendition of a just verdict depends upon the combined efforts of the jurors, the judge, and the lawyers.

A detailed jury orientation video can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4ZvpEr5XGI.

The official Primary results are in and we are blown away! Thank you to everyone who got out and made your voice heard—a...
08/19/2026

The official Primary results are in and we are blown away! Thank you to everyone who got out and made your voice heard—and boy, it was heard loud and clear! 15,000+ people showed up for Staci and her team and they couldn’t be more grateful. It truly means more than words can express.

Although it might seem like the fight is over, we can’t rest just yet! While winning the Primary Election is a major accomplishment and determines our place on the next ballot, the General Election is what seals the deal. In the meantime, keep those yard signs up, keep telling your friends and family about Staci, and keep an eye out later in the year for more ways to get involved. But most of all, make sure to vote for Staci again this November!

One more time, THANK YOU to all of Staci’s supporters. Staci’s community is what motivates her to do the work that she does and she is honored to have your support and your trust, both now and into this next term.

If you’ve spoken to the Clerk’s Office before, there is a good chance you’ve heard, “I’m sorry, we can’t give legal advi...
08/13/2026

If you’ve spoken to the Clerk’s Office before, there is a good chance you’ve heard, “I’m sorry, we can’t give legal advice.” This can be frustrating to hear when you are going through a stressful situation and trying to navigate the complex legal system on your own.

Although it might seem like it, the Clerk’s Office staff never intend to be difficult and are often stuck in a challenging spot where they want to provide assistance but are not able to. The reason the Clerk’s Office cannot give legal advice is because RCW 2.32.090 and RCW 2.48.200 mandate that the Clerk is not to practice law or act as an attorney. Questions that might seem acceptable to answer, may not actually be, so we’re going to outline below some things that the Clerk’s Office can and cannot do.

The Clerk CAN provide: Legal definitions, forms and instructions on how to complete them, procedural definitions and statutes, public case information, options available to you, access to court records. The Clerk CANNOT provide: Interpretations of court orders or legal documents, fill out forms for you, procedural advice, research statutes or court rules, confidential information, attorney referrals, legal opinions, deny or discourage access, or discourage/encourage a lawsuit. As an example, asking “Should I sue my neighbor?”, would be considered legal advice.

An important note is that while the Clerk’s Office can provide something, it does not mean the Clerk must provide something. Clerk’s Office staff always try their best to provide the answer you are looking for, but as you’ve read, are often limited on what they can say. However, Cowlitz County offers wonderful legal assistance programs such as Timberland Legal Aid and Northwest Justice Project. Contact information is below.

Timberland Legal Aid: https://timberlandlegalaid.org, 360-425-2579
Northwest Justice Project: https://nwjustice.org/home, 360-425-1537

The County Clerk is elected by the People to serve as the record keeper for the Superior Court. The Office of the County...
08/11/2026

The County Clerk is elected by the People to serve as the record keeper for the Superior Court. The Office of the County Clerk was established to provide the public with access to a fair, accurate, and independently held record of the opinions, decisions, and judgments of the judiciary. By doing this, the Clerk helps to ensure the separation of powers among the three branches of government. What makes this position unique is that it operates in a dual capacity; as County Clerk for out-of-court duties, and Clerk of Superior Court for in-court duties.

The County Clerk appoints Deputy Clerks to act on her behalf. Deputy Clerks are vital in carrying out the duties of the Clerk; the responsibilities of the County Clerk are vast and could never be carried out alone. With the assistance of her deputies, the Clerk is responsible for:
◾️ Receiving, processing, and maintaining the security of all Superior Court case records including criminal, civil, family law, probate, guardianship, paternity, adoption, juvenile dependency, and juvenile offender.
◾️ Attending all hearings and trials of the Supererior Court to create an independent record of court proceedings
◾️ Receipting, disbursing, and managing court fines, fees, and restitution
◾️ Entering and maintaining a public record of all judgments entered in the Superior Court
◾️ Summonsing jurors for the Superior and District Court
◾️ Providing public access to the records of the court

The operations of the Clerk are directed by the Constitution, WA State law, court rules, and in some cases, court order. Court records held in the Clerk’s Office are required to be maintained for life and can never be destroyed. The WA Secretary of State, State Archives, determines record retention schedules that dictate the manner and length a record must be kept, and must be followed by all local governments, including the County Clerk.

We’ve only scratched the surface of the variety and diversity of tasks that come through the Clerk’s Office but we hope this has given you a better idea. We’ll spend the rest of the month exploring other areas such as jury service, criminal fines, and more. We will also look at each case type filed within the Clerk’s Office and the role that the Clerk plays in all of them.

With the Primary tomorrow, we’d like to remind everyone to get out and vote! Ballots must be dropped off in a ballot box...
08/03/2026

With the Primary tomorrow, we’d like to remind everyone to get out and vote! Ballots must be dropped off in a ballot box before 8pm on August 4th. Ballot box locations can be found on the Auditor’s site below.

https://www.co.cowlitz.wa.us/2522/Ballot-Drop-Boxes

Staci is so appreciative for the time and effort her supporters have dedicated to her campaign and she is honored to have so many loyal family and friends. Staci, Megan, and Rhiannon want to thank everyone for their continued support and we are eager to see tomorrow’s results.

Check out this Class ACT! We are honored to have the support of the Elected Assessor and Elected Treasurer of Cowlitz Co...
08/01/2026

Check out this Class ACT! We are honored to have the support of the Elected Assessor and Elected Treasurer of Cowlitz County. Emily Wilcox and Debra Gardner both took office in 2019 and the three have supported each other ever since.

Staci is excited to be able to continue working alongside such wonderful, supportive women. Together, they make one Class A(ssessor)C(lerk)T(reasurer)!

Pictured (left to right): Emily Wilcox, Cowlitz County Assessor; Staci Myklebust, Cowlitz County Clerk; Debra Gardner, Cowlitz County Treasurer

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Cowlitz County
Woodland, WA

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