Santiago's recall was organized by Nelson Cintron, who Santiago beat in a close election two years ago.
Campaign manager Marcia McGhee says she intended to notify the elections board that people outside the polls were misleading prospective voters.
Marcia McGhee: One specific area that I can recall this morning was coming from Paul Dunbar Elementary School. They were approaching people in public locations and telling them that unless you voted in the 2005 general election you could not vote today.
Cintron denies that it's a case of sour grapes, saying he's concerned about a lack of progress in the struggling ward, which has more than 800 boarded-up homes.
According to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, yesterday's vote cost taxpayers more than $47,000.