Boston Election Officials to Oversee Key Recounts This Weekend

Boston, September 19, 2025

News Summary

In Boston, election officials are set to conduct recounts this weekend in two crucial races: the mayoral contest and the District 7 City Council race. Losing candidates Domingos DaRosa and Mavrick Afonso have both filed for recounts in specific wards, with DaRosa aiming to secure enough votes to appear on the general election ballot against incumbent Mayor Michelle Wu. The recounts will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday, with significant implications for the upcoming general election slated for November 4.

Boston

Election officials in Boston will oversee recounts in two key races this weekend. The recounts were initiated by losing candidates Domingos DaRosa in the mayoral contest and Mavrick Afonso in the District 7 City Council race. Recounts are scheduled for 9 a.m. this Saturday.

Top lines

In the mayoral race, Domingos DaRosa finished third, receiving 2,409 votes, far behind Mayor Michelle Wu, who received 66,398 votes. DaRosa’s recount petitions were certified for five of the city’s 22 wards: 4, 8, 9, 16, and 18. DaRosa needs to gather at least 3,000 votes to qualify for the general election ballot. If DaRosa does not achieve the necessary vote count for the general election ballot, Wu will be the only candidate on the ballot. The general election is scheduled for November 4.

The District 7 recount concerns the race to succeed Tania Fernandes Anderson on the City Council. Eleven candidates ran for two spots in the District 7 general election. The top two finishers were Said Ahmed with 1,155 votes and Miniard Culpepper with 1,102 votes. Mavrick Afonso finished third, receiving 1,082 votes, just 20 votes behind Culpepper. Afonso gathered enough signatures to file recount petitions in four of the six wards in District 7; the recounts will take place in wards 4, 9, 12, and 13.

Details of the challenges

Challenges in both races are limited to specific wards where petitioners certified recount requests under state rules. DaRosa’s recount petitions were certified for five of the city’s 22 wards: 4, 8, 9, 16, and 18. Recounts in District 7 will take place in wards 4, 9, 12, and 13. The recount schedule begins at 9 a.m. this Saturday and is overseen by local election officials according to standard procedures.

Afonso gathered enough signatures to file recount petitions in four of the six wards in District 7. Under state law, a total of 50 registered voters from each ward must sign the recount petition for it to be valid. Afonso’s recount request was supported by fellow candidates and community leaders. Afonso stated that the recount is about protecting democracy and ensuring accurate election outcomes.

Why the recounts matter

The mayoral recount has the potential to determine whether the general election ballot will present a contested mayoral race or a single candidate. DaRosa needs to gather at least 3,000 votes to qualify for the general election ballot, a threshold that will determine whether Mayor Michelle Wu appears alone on the November 4 ballot. In the District 7 race, a margin of 20 votes separates the second-place finisher from the third-place challenger, prompting the recount in multiple wards to ensure all ballots were properly counted.

Context and background

The District 7 seat has been vacant since early July following Fernandes Anderson’s resignation due to corruption charges. The vacancy increased attention on the race to fill the seat and on vote accuracy in a close contest. In the mayoral preliminary, the field narrowed substantially when Wu’s main challenger, Josh Kraft, dropped out after losing the preliminary election by a 49-percentage-point margin.

Election officials will process ballots according to established recount rules and certification procedures. Observers and campaign representatives may attend proceedings as allowed by local election rules. The outcomes of these recounts will be certified before the upcoming general election scheduled for November 4.

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HERE Resources

Boston Election Department to Conduct Mayoral and District 7 Recounts
Candidates Request Recount for Boston City Council District 7
Boston Mayoral Preliminary Election Approaches
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Additional Resources

• Boston.com: Election Recounts Scheduled
• MassLive: Boston Election Recounts
• Boston Globe: Upcoming Recounts
• Boston Herald: District 7 Recap
• Boston.com: Close Race Leads to Recount
• Wikipedia: Boston
• Google Search: Boston Election Recount
• Google Scholar: Boston City Council Election

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