A special election will be held to replace a New Jersey sheriff who resigned after he was recorded making derogatory remarks about black people and Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, the state's first Sikh attorney general.
Michael Saudino resigned from the Bergen County Sheriff's Office Friday after WNYC radio published a recording where he said the attorney general was appointed because of "the turban." He also said Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy's policies will allow black people to "do whatever the (expletive) they want" and "smoke their marijuana."
Saudino issued an apology last week.
Bergen County Clerk John Hogan says that election officials are not hustling to get the election together in time for Election Day. He compares it to elections during Superstorm Sandy.
"There were polling places that were wiped out, power was gone, we were working on a generator in this building and busloads of people were coming in,” Hogan says.
But Hogan says that if they pulled it off then, they can pull it off now.
Voters will pick a new sheriff to serve a full three-year-term in this November ballot. There's no time for primaries.
"The candidates are going to have to get out there,” Hogan says.
Hogan says that the reason for the rush is two state laws regarding sudden vacancies of a public officer. One states that a vacancy needs to be filled within 70 days of a general election. Another one, which specifically names the office of the sheriff, states that the vacancy must be filled within 37 days.
"The laws were never reconciled. That will happen from here on forward,” says Hogan.
Each party will nominate a candidate while independents will need a petition with 100 signatures. The candidates will have until Oct. 4 at 10 a.m. Printing of ballots will stop Oct. 8 at 4 p.m.
Hogan says that 35,000 mail-in ballots have already been sent out. They will need to be reprinted and sent out again. The county has had to increase staff in the election office as a result.
"We're bringing all hands on deck, like we did during Hurricane Sandy,” says Hogan.
Hogan says that the process will cost the county $100,000. He says that the county wants the state to pay for it.
“This is something you can’t budget for,” he says.
Gov. Phil Murphy has appointed Bergen County Sheriff’s Office Chief Kevin Pell as interim sheriff.
The Associated Press wire services contributed to this report.