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 said Thursday.

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

Unofficial results from Tuesday's election showed that Robinson, a Republican, had 49.97 percent of the vote. Bush had 42.3 percent. The rest of the votes went to Cindy Sinkez and Terry Thorne, who are now out of the race.

Candidates need to have one vote more than 50 percent to claim a win.

How to manage growth in this affluent suburb became a centerpiece of campaigns this year, especially in District A, which has the most opportunity for developers.

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.