After a shaky presidential debate last week at CNN's studios in Atlanta, both former first lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Kamala Harris are polling ahead of President Joe Biden in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup with former President Donald Trump.
Biden denied speculation he would withdraw from the race in a conference call with campaign officials on Wednesday, but that didn't stop editorial boards at major newspapers and prominent Democratic donors from calling for the president to step down.
Biden's debate performance isn't the only thing raising questions about the candidates' withdrawal. Either candidate would be the oldest serving president at the end of their terms if elected. Trump, meanwhile, was convicted of 34 felony counts by a Manhattan jury and is facing federal and state indictments in other cases.
But if Trump or Biden withdraw from the election, will there be enough time for a new candidate to appear on the ballot?
Is it too late for a new presidential candidate to appear on the ballot in my state?
Both Biden and Trump have secured the number of delegates needed to secure their party's nomination at their respective nominating conventions.
Prepare to vote: See who's running for president and compare their positions on key issues with our voter guide
Typically, a party's presidential candidate appears on the general election ballot if they meet a certain threshold based on votes received in recent elections, according to the National Association of Secretaries of State. Earlier this year, both Democrats and Republicans easily met that threshold in every state.
This means that if Biden or Trump are nominated by their respective parties, their names will appear on each state's general election ballot.
But if one of them drops out or a different candidate is nominated at the convention, that person can be placed on the general election ballot instead. One way to accomplish this is through an open convention, a process that hasn't been used since 1968, in which delegates who have pledged to vote for a particular candidate can vote for other candidates.
Each state has different rules about how parties must certify their candidates and how many days before an election they must do so.
For example, in California, eligible political parties must certify their presidential electors to the Secretary of State by October 1. In Texas, political parties must certify the names of their nominated president and vice president, as well as the names of their presidential electors, no later than 71 days before the election or the first business day after the final nominating convention.
The Republican National Convention will be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from July 15-18, and the Democratic National Convention will be held in Chicago from August 19-22.
Could new candidates appear on the ballot after the convention?
Political scientists say if Trump or Biden were to be nominated but then withdraw after the convention, the national party would have to choose a replacement candidate through a special conference.
But the timing of getting candidates' names on the ballot in each state can be tricky, as ballots sometimes need to be printed and mailed out up to 45 days before Election Day.
Non-major party candidates
Each state has different procedures for independent and minor party candidates to appear on the ballot, usually with different signature requirements and deadlines by which candidates must submit and meet other requirements.
The process can be complicated, as shown by the efforts of unlikely independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to appear on the ballot in all 50 states.
