Recall season in Wisconsin.

• Position: TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS

For much of American history, the recall has lurked quietly in state constitutions, rarely trotted out for legislators or statewide officials. But that's about to change in Wisconsin.

Infuriated by Republican senators' votes in favor of Governor Scott Walker's effort to limit the influence of public employee unions, Democrats launched petitions against the eight Republicans eligible for recall; by May 4, six had been filed. Republicans, too, are outraged. They're mad that Democrats fled to Illinois to forestall a vote on the union bill and started petitions against eight of them. Three had been filed at press time. The total number of recall elections is like to stay at nine, but could climb as high as 10 (one petition against a Democrat is still active.).

These 16 lawmakers were last elected in 2008. Wisconsin's law requires that an official be in office for a year before a recall campaign can be launched, so November is the earliest date petitions could be circulated against the remaining 17 senators who, along with the governor, were elected in 2010. Whether recall proponents can keep voters engaged until then remains to be seen, but they say they're launching a recall petition against the governor and have already begun fund-raising for...