Related'Roxbury always elects a fighter': As 11 candidates vie for open council seat, residents say housing is top issue

"With so much at stake for District 7, voters deserve certainty that every ballot was counted correctly," Afonso said in a statement Monday. "This isn't about politics, it's about protecting the integrity of our democracy. The fact that other candidates and community leaders are united proves that fairness matters more than campaign lines."

Several other candidates who ran for the District 7 spot, the only open seat on last week's preliminary election ballot, have joined together to support Afonso's recount request, his campaign said.

Fellow District 7 candidates Said Abdikarim, Samuel Hurtado, and Wawa Bell are helping Afonso collect the necessary signatures for his recount petition, which his campaign will file with the Boston Election Department today, according to the Afonso campaign.

"This race is far too close to leave to chance," Abdikarim said in a statement shared by the Afonso campaign.

"A transparent recount will allow us to respect the voter's voices, and allow the District to move onto November," Hurtado added in a statement.

Culpepper fully supports a recount in light of how close Tuesday's results were, he told the Globe in a statement Monday. But he said he remains confident that the recount will be consistent with the city's unofficial tally, and that his campaign will move on to November.

"Every voter deserves the assurance that their voice was heard and their ballot counted," Culpepper wrote in the statement. "What matters most is protecting trust in this process."

Ahmed did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The District 7 position had the most crowded field of candidates out of all the races on last Tuesday's ballot, with 11 people vying for the seat. The district includes some of the city's most diverse and historically disenfranchised neighborhoods, including Roxbury, and parts of Dorchester and the South End.

Fernandes Anderson, who previously made history as the first Muslim and formerly undocumented person to be elected to the council, decided not to run for reelection to the seat after agreeing to plead guilty to federal corruption charges earlier this year.

Recount being sought in Boston City Council District 7 race after Mavrick Afonso finishes 20 votes shy of 2nd place - The Boston Globe