Earlier this month, more than one million recall signatures for Gov. Scott Walker were filed. Recent reports show a recall election for the governor could cost at least nine million dollars.

Democrats label the cost as “the best down payment people can make for Wisconsin’s future” and claim Walker has already, and will continue to, cost the middle and lower classes millions. Republicans have countered, saying the state simply cannot afford the recall and argue that the money could “be used for other initiatives like job creation.”

I have heard supporters of Walker rail against the existence of recalls and claim that Democrats shouldn’t even be allowed to try to recall Walker. But recall is part of the civic process. It is part of that notion we have all heard time and time again in any civics class: checks and balances. Recall is a way for the people to check executive power to ensure it does not get out of hand.

No one is perfect. That includes voters and politicians. Perhaps voters weren’t as informed as they wish they had been, or maybe they just weren’t motivated to go to the polls. Some Republicans argue that “Democrats had their chance” and didn’t vote, or voted for Walker even though they disagree with what he has done. But it is not that simple.

Elected politicians often believe they have a mandate from the people to help enact the legislation which they favor. And in general, they do. You can expect a Democratic president to try to get Democratic legislation enacted. However, those expectations have limits.

Unions have been part of Wisconsin life for quite some time. I think even some Republicans were not expecting Walker’s union reforms to be as wide-reaching as they were. Walker’s campaign site made “no mention of a large-scale diminishment of labor unions’ ability to negotiate contracts.” Very little of his campaigning ever mentioned unions at all.

So is union reform something Wisconsin truly wants? There is no way to know without a recall. Walker should embrace his chance to find out if he truly has a mandate from the people. He now has an opportunity to campaign on the union reform he claims Wisconsin citizens want and find out if they actually do.

Some claim a Democratic candidate running against Walker will be hand-picked by the unions. Any candidate who wouldn’t fight to the death to defend unions simply will not receive campaign funding from them. But isn’t this exactly Walker’s position? A lot of his campaign funds come from business. If a Democratic candidate can be said to be hand-picked by unions, then Walker can be said to be hand-picked by businesses.

James Madison once remarked “If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary.” But angels don’t govern men; men do, and they are imperfect. Thus, checks and balances, like recalls, are much needed.

All in all, Walker ought to embrace the recall. It is an important check and balance on executive power. It gives him a chance to defend his administration’s positions. It gives him a chance to reflect on their effects. Most importantly, it gives him a chance to see if he actually does have a mandate to reform unions.

And if Republicans want to slam the recall process as being too costly, then why aren’t they complaining about the $100,000 that checking for duplicate names on petitions will cost?

Reggie Young ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in legal studies and Scandinavian studies.