Here's what's at stake in midterm elections this week

Nebraska and West Virginia voters on Tuesday, May 12, are set to choose candidates for congressional and state-level positions.

The races come during a month packed with elections across the country as states hold primaries ahead of the November midterms. Republicans and Democrats are gearing up for tough battles for seats in Congress, where President Donald Trump wants to maintain narrow majorities.

Here's what to know about elections in Nebraska and West Virginia this week.

Nebraska

Nebraskans will weigh in on candidates for governor, U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives races on May 12.

One of Nebraska's seats is open in the U.S. Senate, where Republicans hold a 53-47 majority. In the Senate GOP primary, incumbent Sen. Pete Ricketts will seek his party's nomination, while two Democrats, Cindy Burbank and William Forbes, vie to be on the fall ballot.

On the House side, voters will choose among dozens of candidates for each of the state's three congressional districts. Incumbent GOP Reps. Mike Flood and Adrian Smith will seek to defend their seats in the first district and third district, respectively.

Eyes will be on the race for the seat of retiring Rep. Don Bacon in the second district. Six Democrats have entered a crowded race to flip a seat and gain a spot in Washington this fall. Republican Brinker Harding and Libertarian Eric Michael Foreman are uncontested in their races and will head to the November ballot.

Voters will also determine the final crop of candidates to lead state policy and administration. Nebraska's incumbent Gov. Jim Pillen faces five other candidates for the GOP nomination to defend his position. Two Democrats face off for the opposing party's nomination.

Nebraska also has elections for a number of other state government roles, including secretary of state and attorney general, as well as local school board and municipal elections.

The state is gearing up to list a number of state ballot measures on the November ballot. One issue to appear in the fall would amend the state constitution to extend term limits for state legislators from two to four years.

West Virginia

Offices on the ballot in West Virginia this month include the U.S. House and Senate, state legislators and the state Supreme Court, as well as local elections and ballot measures.

West Virginia is set to elect one U.S. senator this year. Incumbent Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito faces five competitors for the nomination to keep her seat. Five Democrats are in the race for the nomination to steal Capito's seat in the fall.

The state has two congressional districts and will elect representatives for each of them. Incumbent Reps. Carol Miller of the first district and Riley Moore of the second district will look to defend their seats.

One ballot measure faces West Virginians this autumn. Voters must decide on the West Virginia Citizenship Voting Requirement Amendment, which would alter the state constitution from current language of "Citizens of the state shall be entitled to vote" to language that states "only citizens of the state who are citizens of the United States are entitled to vote."

This isn't the first measure of its kind: Voters across the country have passed 15 ballot measures enabling citizenship voting requirements since 2018, according to Ballotpedia. The effort occurs against the backdrop of Trump's recent effort to crack down on election practices as well as immigration.