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The state parties are supposed to submit the list of candidates by the first Tuesday of February, and the board of elections is supposed to nominate everyone on that list in March. The list is supposed to include every candidate generally recognized in the news media, which, on the deadline, included Mitt Romney. The statute has a provision for keeping the party from including your name by delivering an affidavit to the state party chair. Since I doubt Romney delivered such an affidavit before the deadline, since the deadline was Super Tuesday, there must be a way to get off the ballot after that, at least before the nomination meeting. Of course, Huckabee withdrew the same day as that nomination meeting, though I think it was late in that day, after the primary meeting.

One thing that's interesting... if Ron Paul or Alan Keyes were considering running as third party candidates, they probably shouldn't have left their names on the ballot. Because they've appeared on the Republican primary ballot, they cannot appear on the general election ballot for President as anyone other than the Republican nominee. If either still wants to run in November, it will have to be as a write-on candidate, even if the Libertarian, Constitution, or some other party were to nominate them (I think both already have nominees anyway).

Another thing that's interesting; Ron Paul is still actively campaigning here. I guess he figured he might as well, since he's already won re-election to Congress. Once, I might have thought that he was building support for a third party run, but NC is probably not the only state he'd have to run as a write-on candidate in, so that's unlikely.