Trump already has a candidate for the Supreme Court. But can the Senate approve it before the elections?

Justice Amy Coney Barrett officially accepted President Donald Trump's nomination on Saturday to serve on the Supreme Court for life and replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

The nomination now goes to the Senate with the hope of the Republicans that it will be confirmed before the elections that are held in less than 40 days.

In 244 years, no Supreme Court nomination has been confirmed so close to an election.

[This is Amey Coney Barrett, nominated by Trump for the Supreme Court: she is in favor of the public charge rule and against abortion]

Republicans hope to vote in late October, though Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has yet to say for sure whether the final vote will be before or after November 3. 

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Republican Lindsey Graham, confirmed that the hearing to review Barrett's nomination will begin on October 12;

the procedure should take three to four days.

Barrett is expected to make his first appearance on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, to meet with McConnell, Graham and other members of the Senate.

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Once the committee approves the nomination, it will go to the full Senate for its final vote.

All of this could happen before November 3 if the process goes smoothly.

Graham said he hopes the committee can move the nomination to plenary by the week of Oct. 26.

But Republicans acknowledge the tight deadline and say they will need to see how the hearings go.

McConnell has been careful not to say when he thinks the final confirmation vote will take place.

He has only said that it will happen "this year."

Does the Senate have enough votes to advance?

McConnell has the votes, for now.

Republicans control the Senate by a 53-47 margin, which means it could lose up to three Republican votes and still confirm the judge with the casting vote of Vice President Mike Pence.

McConnell does not have the support of two Republicans, Senator for Maine Susan Collins and Senator for Alaska Lisa Murkowski, who said they do not believe the Senate should vote for the judge before the election.

Can Democrats stop the vote?

Democrats opposed the nomination on Saturday but there is little they can do to stop it, although they can use various tactics to delay it.

Furthermore, the polls seem to prove them right. 

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We answer your questions]

Most voters believe that the winner of the election is the one who should fill the vacancy of the Court.

According to a poll published this Sunday by The New York Times and Siena College, 56% said they saw it that way.

In addition, a poll by The Washington Post and ABC News shows that 64% of Democratic voters say that the vacancy on the Court makes it even more important that their candidate, Joe Biden, win the election.

There's one common ground for Senate Democrats to focus on: the future of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), as millions of citizens could lose their health care if Republicans comply with the threat to revoke this measure.

The Supreme Court must decide after the election, and with Barrett they fear it will be against.

How long does it usually take for a Supreme Court judge to confirm?

Nominations to the Supreme Court have taken about 70 days to pass through the Senate, although the last one, that of Brett Kavanaugh in 2018, took longer, and others have taken less.

Can the Senate fill the vacancy after the election?

Yes. Republicans can continue to vote for the Trump candidate in what is known as the

that takes place after the November election and before the next Congress takes office on January 3.

No matter what happens in this year's election, Republicans are expected to remain in charge of the Senate during that period.

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The Senate would have until January 20, the date of the presidential inauguration, to validate the Trump candidate.

If Trump were re-elected and Barrett had not been confirmed for the inauguration, he could reappoint her as soon as his second term began.

How is the campaign affected?

Republicans are defending 25 of the 38 Senate seats contested this year.

While some senators running for reelection, like Collins, have opposed an immediate vote, others are using it to bolster their position with the Conservatives.

Several Republican senators participating in this year's competitions, including Cory Gardner for Colorado, Martha McSally for Arizona, Kelly Loeffler for Georgia and Thom Tillis for North Carolina, quickly joined Trump in calling for a quick vote.

"Amy Coney Barrett will ensure that the President and Senate Republicans continue their transformation of the federal judiciary beyond 2020," Mike Davis, a former senior Senate Republican attorney on Court nominations, told NBC News.

And if the Republican bid fails, the party could have a conservative Supreme Court to try to obstruct Biden's agenda in court.

With information from AP, NBC News, The New York Times and The Washington Post.