What is TAFF? -- The Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund was created in 1953 for the purpose of providing funds to bring well-known and popular fans familiar to those on both sides of the ocean across the Atlantic. Since that time, TAFF has regularly sent brought North American fans to European conventions and European fans to North American conventions. TAFF exists solely through the support of fandom. The candidates are voted on by interested fans all over the world, and each vote is accompanied by a donation of not less than $1 or £1. These votes, and the continued generosity of fandom, are what make TAFF possible.
Who may vote? -- Voting in the 1989 race is open to anyone who was active in fandom prior to September 1987, and who contributes at least $1 or £1 to the Fund. Contributions in excess of the minimum will be gratefully accepted. Voting is by secret ballot: only one vote per person, and you must sign your ballot. "Write-ins" are permitted.You may change your vote at any time prior to the deadline.
Deadline -- Votes in this race must reach the administrators by 15 January 1989.
Voting details -- (1) TAFF uses a preferential ballot system which guarantees automatic runoffs until a majority is obtained. You rank the candidates in the exact order of your preference for them. If the leading first-place candidate does not get a majority the first-place votes for the lowest-ranking candidate are dropped, and the second-place votes on those ballots are counted as first-place votes. This process repeats itself until one candidate has an overall majority. It is therefore important to vote for second and third place on your ballot. Also, it is a waste of time to vote for any candidate in more than one place. (2) One other requirement obtains. To win, a candidate must receive at least 20% of the first-ballot first-place votes cast on both sides of the Atlantic, separately. Any candidate failing to receive this minimum percentage on either side will be dropped, and the second-place votes on their ballots counted as first-place votes in the next ballot count. It is therefore important for candidates and their supporters to canvass fans on both sides of the Atlantic. It should be noted that, while you may send your ballot to either administrator, it will be tabulated with the other votes from the side of the Atlantic on which you reside. Finally, votes from fans not resident in either Europe or North America will not be counted toward either 20% minimum (but are almost certain to affect any given race anyway, so don't let this stop you from voting).
Hold Over Funds -- This choice, similar to "No Award" in Hugo balloting, gives voters the chance to vote for no TAFF trip this year, if the candidates don't appeal to them or if they feel TAFF should slow down its trip frequency. Hold Over Funds may be voted for in any position, and is exempt from the 20% requirement. Should it ultimately receive a majority of votes on the final ballot, no TAFF trip will be awarded regardless of how many votes Hold Over Funds received on the first ballot.
Donations -- TAFF gratefully accepts freely-given donations of money and of material for auction; such generosity has sustained the Fund for over 35 years. If you are ineligible to vote, or do not feel qualified to make a choice, why not donate anyway? TAFF is fandom's oldest travel fund, and one of its worthiest causes.
Candidates -- Each candidate has posted a bond, promising -- barring Acts of God -- to travel to the 1989 Eastercon, on Jersey, in the Channel Islands, England if elected; and has provided signed nominations and a platform, reproduced overleaf above the ballot.
Send ballots and contributions to
in North America
in Europe
Jeanne Gomoll
Box 1442
Madison, WI
53701-1443 USA
Lilian Edwards
1 Braehead Rd.
Thorntonhall, Glasgow
G74 5AQ ScotlandChristina Lake
47 Wessex Avenue
Horfield, Bristol
BS7 0DE EnglandN.B. Make checks payable to relevant individual, NOT TO TAFF.
side 2:
1989 TAFF Ballot -- North America to Europe
Robert Lichtman
Bob was a prolific fanwriter and publisher from the late 1950s and 60s, in fanzines like Psi-Phi and Frap. After a decade's retirement, he had a name transplant, returning as "Robert" in the 1980s. His fanzine Trapdoor was instantly popular, featuring and appealing to fans of all eras and locations, and helping to lure back other retired fans. His involvement with British fandom makes him the obvious TAFF delegate. Since all who meet him stress his enjoyable, friendly conversation he is bound to prove a popular winner. Even if, after all these years, he still hasn't learned to number every page. *
Robert Lichtman's nominators are: Linda Blanchard & Dave Bridges, Hazel Ashworth, Lucy Huntzinger, Dave Langford, and Suzanne Tompkins.
Luke McGuff
This is destined to be one of those Midwestern Hot-Dish zone campaigns that brings all fandom together like fissionable material. I've never done a faanish fanzine and hardly anyone in Britain has heard of me. But I have done some things recently worth noting: I read "Fizz Buzz" at WisCon, my own "The Really Extreme Monsters from Like, Way out" at Minicon and did the opening ceremonies at Corflu 5. If I win, I'll do all this and more, and good luck getting a trip report out of me.
Luke McGuff's nominators are: Avedon Carol, Judith Nanna & Joseph Nicholas, Jerry Kaufman, Spike Parsons, and Stu Shiffman.
* Robert Lichtman's platform was written by Owen Whiteoak.
Please read both sides of this sheet before voting. Send entire sheet as vote.
Do not detach this portion!
I VOTE FOR (rank 1-2-3):
[ __ ] Robert Lichtman
[ __ ] Luke McGuff
[ __ ] Hold Over Funds
SignatureName and address (legibly, please):
Name
Street
City, State, Code
Country ... Phone Number
Enclosed is ________ as a contribution to TAFF. Please make checks, etc., payable to Jeanne Gomoll, Lilian Edwards or Christina Lake, not to "TAFF", and payable in the currency of that administrator's home country.
If you think your name may not be known to the administrators, then in order to qualify please give, in the space below, the name and address of an active fan (not a "fan group") who is known to them and to whom you are known:
Reproduction of this form encouraged. It is the official voting vehicle and must be reproduced verbatim. Anyone so doing should substitute their name here -- Jeanne Gomoll [HTML adaptation by Dave Langford.]