One way to go about it is to track the same people over time, observe how their political preferences change and then compare those changes to the results of different elections.
In a way, these recall elections — more than have ever been pursued against Wisconsin lawmakers in the state's history — grew out of a different election.
In summary: It would be harder than we think — in part because we tend to conflate a number of very different election systems.
With this model it becomes possible to explain the polarization of votes between two candidates, understand the small margin of victories frequently observed for different elections, and analyze the polls' impact in American, Canadian, and Brazilian ballots.
While there is plenty of variation in the outcomes of the different elections, there is a big picture and it has one clear theme.
"It's a completely different election for all of them," said Fernando Guerra, who directs the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University and is registered to lobby the council.
By one analysis, a general election in India is mostly the sum result of dozens of different state elections, with the winners getting together after the event to see how to make a government for the country.
Voting records suggested that Mr. Mahony, formerly of Manhattan, voted twice in two different elections, and he is under investigation by the New York City Board of Elections and the Manhattan district attorney's office.
One point of contention is the timing of different sets of elections.
It is based on the determination of an election of different criteria, considering ecological, infrastructural and user-related aspects.
