Down to the Wire. California US House Election Could End in Improbable Tie Vote for 2nd Place

A file photo of San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, attending the Pars Equality Center's Daryabari Iranian Community Center Opening in San Jose, Calif., on April 16, 2015. Steve Jennings/Getty Images for Pars Equality Center

SAN JOSE, Calif.—A U.S. House race in California appears headed for a mathematically improbable result—after more than 180,000 votes were cast, a tie for second place.

If the numbers hold, that means that the state’s “top two” election system would have to make room for a third candidate on the November ballot, an apparent first for a House race in the state.