Some call Wisconsin a political battleground with six potential recall elections on the horizon.
With so much to consider, students at UW-Marathon County are getting a useful lesson in democracy.
Governor Scott Walker, Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and four republican state senators, including Sen. Pam Galloway (R-Wausau) face recall. The effort to recall was spurred by anger over the contents of Walker's budget repair bill and those who supported it.
"I think this is a hugely important election I think we can't, we can't overestimate really how important this is," said Eric Giordano, director of the Wisconsin Institute on Public Policy.
Control of the state legislature is at stake. If one challenger beats a republican in a recall election, that's enough to sway control of the senate to the democrats.
Giordano says a lot of time, effort and money are pouring into campaigns.
"I think a lot of eyes are going to be on Wisconsin to see who comes out of this ahead," he said.
The topic of political recall has always been in the curriculum at UW-Marathon County but with what's currently going on in the state there's more interest in the classroom.
"Students are quite interested in this," said Don Hermanson, an instructor of political science at UW-MC.
Hermanson covers the topic in his American National Government course. But this year, the relevance is obvious.
"What we're teaching in political science class is how to do things, how to be a citizen," Hermanson said.
Not just during class, but after class Hermanson answers student questions on how the recall process works.
