| Field | Detail | Source |
|---|
| Full Name | Scott A. Tinney | T1 |
| Residence | 123 Valley Meadows Dr, Chehalis, WA 98532. Lifelong Washingtonian who has lived in Lewis County for approximately 30 years. His wife Donna has lived in Lewis County her entire life. | T1 |
| Party | Republican | T1 |
| Family | Married to Donna Tinney, a lifelong Lewis County resident. | T2 |
| Employment | Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), Clark County Juvenile Court (1990-1991); Employee, Clark County District Court (1991-1992); Paralegal, Calbom, Pond, Falkenstein and Marshall law firm (1992-1993); Deputy Clerk, Thurston County Clerk's Office (1993-2016). Approximately 24 years in multiple roles including docket clerk, courtroom clerk, front desk, and accounting department.; Lewis County Clerk, appointed by Lewis County Board of Commissioners in November 2016 to complete the term of retired Clerk Kathy Brack. Won special election in 2017, re-elected 2022. Currently serving, seeking re-election 2026. | T2 |
1 Election History
| Year | Race | Result |
|---|
| 2016 | Lewis County Clerk (Appointment) | Appointed by Lewis County Board of Commissioners to fill vacancy left by retired Clerk Kathy Brack. Was the third-ranked candidate by the local Republican Party (behind Carla Shannon and Tiffini Walker), but commissioners selected him based on his broad experience across all areas of clerk operations. |
| 2017 | Lewis County Clerk (Special Election) | Won general, 7,319 votes (50.08%) vs Carla Shannon (R) 7,280 (49.92%). Margin of 39 votes. Confirmed by machine recount. |
| 2022 | Lewis County Clerk (Primary) | Won primary, 11,317 votes (55.33%) vs Linda Williams (R) 8,815 (43.10%) |
| 2022 | Lewis County Clerk (General) | Won general, 17,781 votes (57.29%) vs Linda Williams (R) 12,873 (41.47%) |
2 Political Positions
| Topic | Position | Source |
|---|
| Court Modernization & Electronic Filing | Implemented electronic document filing system for Lewis County Superior Court. No fee for e-filing service (standard filing fees and ecommerce transaction fees still apply). Worked with other county offices for several years to bring electronic filing to fruition. | T2 |
| Protection Order Modernization | Modernized the civil protection order process to allow petitioners to submit paperwork remotely for cases involving domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, harassment, vulnerable adults, and extreme risk. Installed application kiosk outside the clerk's office. Developing electronic notification system to update residents on petition status. | T2 |
| Customer Service & Access | Emphasized broad-based experience across all areas of clerk operations. Committed to professional, accessible court administration. Prioritizes reducing barriers for residents interacting with the court system. | T2 |
3 Campaign Finance (PDC T1 Data)
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Filing Entity | No WA PDC committee registration located statewide for the 2026 cycle as of 2026-06-21, uncontested race; under-threshold/mini-filer or non-filer. Source: WA PDC SODA API (data.wa.gov), as_of 2026-06-21. | T1 |
4 Endorsements
- Lewis County Clerk's Office staff
5 Notable Public Statements
“There are many positive benefits of having options in how individuals can submit documents. It eliminates putting someone at potential risk when coming to the Law and Justice Center to file.”
Statement about launching remote protection order filing (2024-01-01)
6 Vulnerability Assessment
3 sourced findings. All sourced at T1 (Official Record) or T2 (Multi-Source Media) per clearthemud provenance model. No T3/T4 claims included.
Finding 6.1: Appointed clerk in 2016 as the local GOP's third-ranked choice LOW
- What happened
- When Tinney was appointed Lewis County Clerk in November 2016, the local Republican Party had ranked three candidates for the position. Tinney was their third choice, behind Carla Shannon (first) and Tiffini Walker (second). The Lewis County Board of Commissioners selected Tinney over the party's preferred candidates, with Commissioner Gary Stamper stating that Tinney 'had a real broad base and experience in every area' addressed in interviews. This created friction with the local party and with Shannon, who then challenged Tinney in the 2017 special election, which Tinney won by only 39 votes, requiring a recount.
- Source tier
- T2
- Political impact
- Low
- Defense
- The commissioners' selection was based on professional qualifications rather than party rank. Tinney's 24 years of experience at the Thurston County Clerk's Office gave him the broadest operational background of the three candidates. His subsequent electoral victories (2017 and 2022) demonstrate voter validation of the appointment.
- https://lewiscountysirens.com/?p=38987
- https://lewiscountysirens.com/?p=42810
Finding 6.2: Won the 2017 election by 39 votes after a recount LOW
- What happened
- Tinney's first election in 2017 was among the closest county races in Lewis County history. He initially trailed challenger Carla Shannon, then took the lead by 23 votes, then 32 votes, before the final certified margin settled at 39 votes out of approximately 14,600 cast (50.08% to 49.92%). The race required a machine recount conducted by the Lewis County Auditor's Office. The recount confirmed Tinney's victory.
- Source tier
- T1
- Political impact
- Low
- Defense
- Tinney was a relative newcomer to Lewis County politics, having spent his career in Thurston County. His 2022 re-election margin of 57.29% to 41.47% (a 15.8-point improvement) shows that voters became more supportive after seeing his performance in office. The 2017 result reflects the circumstances of an appointee's first election.
- https://www.chronline.com/stories/county-clerk-race-flip-flops-scott-tinney-now-leads-by-23-votes,21862
- https://lewiscountysirens.com/?p=42810
Finding 6.3: Spent 24 years working in Thurston County before his 2016 appointment LOW
- What happened
- Prior to his 2016 appointment, Tinney spent the majority of his professional career outside Lewis County. He worked at Clark County District Court (1991-1992), at a private law firm in Thurston County (1992-1993), and then 24 years as a deputy clerk at the Thurston County Clerk's Office (1993-2016). He has lived in Lewis County for approximately 30 years, and his professional experience was in neighboring counties.
- Source tier
- T2
- Political impact
- Low
- Defense
- Tinney's Thurston County experience gave him exposure to a larger, more complex court system, which he brought as expertise to Lewis County. Commissioner Stamper specifically cited the value of his 'perspective coming from another county.' His nearly 10 years now as Lewis County Clerk and 30 years of residency make the outsider label increasingly difficult to sustain.
- https://lewiscountysirens.com/?p=38987
- https://www.chronline.com/stories/lewis-county-clerk-candidates-talk-court-facilitator-position-electronic-filing-and-qualifications,302134
7 Source Verification
- Data Sources
- WA SOS, WA PDC, local media, public records
- Collection Date
- 2026-06-24
- Highest Tier
- T1 (Official Record)
- Methodology
- OSINT deep-dive using exclusively public-record sources. All findings at T1 or T2. No T3/T4 claims included.