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Can the presidential elections be postponed?
The president cannot decide by himself to postpone the elections. Congress has a mandate to move election day and can theoretically delegate this responsibility to the president.
Democrats have a majority in one chamber of Congress, the House of Representatives, so they could decide whether it is reasonable to postpone the election.
Donald Trump’s term ends on January 20, 2021, and if there is no new president ready to take office, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, will do so on an interim basis.
What if Trump can’t participate?
If an elected candidate is no longer willing or unable to participate, the party’s highest governing body is likely to choose a replacement.
In the case of Republicans, the Republican National Committee (RNC) has the theoretical opportunity to call a new party convention. The highest echelons of the party can choose anyone.
If states do not have laws that allow a change in the candidate’s name on the ballot, the courts will likely be allowed to intervene.
What if something happens after Election Day?
If a candidate has been formally nominated as president-elect, it is the incumbent vice president who will intervene if something happens, in accordance with the Constitution. If something happens between Election Day and the electorate’s election in December, it is no more clear what will happen, as is whether something happens after the electorate has elected, but before the newly convened Congress formally counts the votes to early January.
In these loopholes, situations the United States has never been in, legal disputes are likely to arise.
