CARY — The outcome of a close race in Cary's biggest district could rest in the hands of 17 provisional voters in Wake and Chatham counties, elections officials say.

If enough of them are for District A incumbent Jennifer Robinson, she would keep her Town Council seat. If not, she and Democratic challenger Lori Bush would be headed for a Nov. 3 runoff.

Bush would first have to formally request the runoff, said Cherie Poucher, the director of Wake's elections. Bush said Tuesday she intended to do so if Robinson wasn't deemed the victor.

Unofficial results from Tuesday's election showed that Robinson had 49.97 percent of the vote. Bush had 42.3 percent.

The rest of the votes went to Democrats Cindy Sinkez and Terry Thorne, who are now out of the race. Candidates must have one vote more than 50 percent to win.

How to manage growth in this affluent suburb was a centerpiece of campaigns this year, especially in western Cary's District A, which has lots of undeveloped land.

Robinson, who has been on Town Council for a decade, has expressed frustration over what she says are efforts by Bush and slow-growth group DavisandHighHouse.org to paint her as overly friendly with developers, a claim she denies.

Staff Writer Jordan Cooke