Clackamas County Clerk

The Clerk is the head election official for the county and is the keeper of all county public records.

Catherine McMullen began her service to residents as County Clerk in 2023. The Clerk’s Office oversees the Elections, Recording, and Records Management divisions at Clackamas County. The Clerk’s Office also oversees the Property Value Appeals Board (PVAB) process, and OLCC Liquor Licensing in unincorporated Clackamas County. Clerk McMullen works to build public trust through good and responsive government. She is guided by the values of accountability, transparency, and community inclusion in local governance.

Mission Statement for the Office of the Clerk:  

The Office of the Clerk and its major divisions build public trust through good and responsive government. The Office of the Clerk ensures equitable and inclusive access to local government services through conducting accurate and transparent elections, empowering every voice, recording real property transactions, issuing marriage licenses, officiating weddings, and preserving the public record.  

Elections

As the head election administrator for the county, the Clerk conducts all local, state, and federal elections for the citizens of Clackamas County. The Elections Division manages all aspects of elections administration including voter registration, county and special district candidate filing, county voters’ pamphlets, ballot design, mailing, signature verification, counting, tallying, and reporting results.

Clackamas County has more than 313,000 registered voters in 16 incorporated cities and unincorporated rural and urban communities. The Elections Division manages 25 official ballot drop sites located in communities across the county. Learn more about the Clackamas County Elections Division.

Recording

The Recording Division processes all real property transactions, plats, Board of County Commissioner’s Journal documents, and board orders for Clackamas County. Budget documents for the County, municipal corporations, and local governments are submitted to the County Clerk and retained as public record.

In addition, couples can make an appointment to get a marriage license or register a Domestic Partnership Declaration with the Recording Division. The County Clerk is also permitted by the Oregon Revised Statues to perform weddings. Learn more about the Clackamas County Recording Division.

Records Management

The Records Management supports County departments and divisions in making public records available to the general public; retaining public records and maintaining the microfilm, archives and other collections. They provide security, organization, and preservation of all records.

You can also schedule an appointment and apply for a passport. The U.S. State Department has designated the Records Management Division as a passport application acceptance facility. Learn more about the Clackamas County Records Management Division.

About Clerk Catherine McMullen

Clerk Catherine McMullen has devoted her career to public service, first as a public librarian, and since 2015 as an elections administrator. She has served as the elected County Clerk since 2023. Clerk McMullen is an active member of the Partnership for Large Election Jurisdictions (PLEJ), the Oregon Association of County Clerks, and is recognized as a Certified County Clerk (CCC). She has an Executive Masters in Public Administration (EMPA) from the Portland State University Hatfield School of Government, a Masters in Library and Information Science (MLIS) from the University of Washington, and a B.A. in comparative literature from U.C. Davis.

The Clerk lives in West Linn with her family. Clerk McMullen is part of the West Linn Alliance for Inclusion and is focused on equity and inclusion in both her personal and professional life. She loves to grow food and read books and is always hopeful to be doing more of both.