The midterm elections have officially begun in the US with primaries in Texas, North Carolina and Arkansas in the backdrop of the Iran war. In these primaries, voters in the United States determine which candidates will represent the major Republican and Democratic political parties in the November midterm elections, when control of Congress and statehouses around the country will be up for grabs.

The most hotly contested races of the day are in Texas, with fierce competition on both sides of the aisle for US Senate nominations. It’s possible that the Republican campaign will continue into a runoff. Some voters in two major Texas counties are being turned away at polling locations and directed to different voting precincts, causing confusion and frustration.

The polls kicked off just four days after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran, sparking a regional war that has seen Iran launch retaliatory strikes across the Middle East.