Two separate requests have been filed to recount the primary race for California’s 16th Congressional District, officials in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties confirmed Tuesday.
There are currently three candidates expected to advance to the November elections: frontrunner former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian and California Rep. Evan Low.
Simitian and Low ended the primary with the unlikely tie, each garnering exactly 30,249 votes. A recount, however, could change exactly who ends up advancing.
San Mateo County said it was reviewing the requests, adding that neither of the two had yet made a deposit for the recount.
"It's all contingent to whether or not the voter will make a deposit for the recount, the cost of the recount," said County of Santa Clara Registrar of Voters Associate Communications Officers Michael Borja, adding, "This is a very rare event and we're still working on it on a day-by-day basis, and doing the proper research."
A possible recount would have one clear winner, according to San Jose State University political science professor Melinda Jackson.
"The person who actually has the most to gain from a recount is Sam Liccardo," Jackson said. "Because right now he's looking at a three-person race. He would probably do better, have a better chance in a two-person race."
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NBC Bay Area reached out to all three campaigns.
Liccardo's campaign responded and said that more than 100 ballots were not included in the final tally due to issues like unverified signatures, adding that they "understand why there would be an effort to make sure the votes are fully considered."
A spokesperson for Evan Low's campaign released this statement: "This is a page right out of Trump's political playbook using dirty tricks to attack democracy and subvert the will of the voters. Sam Liccardo, who does not live in the district, did not file a recount himself. Instead, he had his former staffer do it for him. What's he afraid of?"
And Joe Simitian released this statement: "Eventually, this process will work itself out. My job is to stay focused on how I can best represent the folks in our district. And that's what I'm doing."
The length of the recount will depend on whether it's done manually or by machine. Costs could be as high as a couple hundred thousand dollars, depending on how it's done.
If the petitioner makes payment, the registrar's office could begin the recount on Monday.
