1996 TAFF BALLOT
Europe to North America

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 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 $2 or £1. These votes, and the continued generosity of fandom, are what make TAFF possible.

Who may vote? Voting in the 1996 race is open to anyone who was active in fandom prior to September 1994, and who contributes at least $2 or £1 to the Fund. Larger contributions will be gratefully accepted. Voting is by secret ballot: only one vote per person, and you must sign your ballot. You may change your vote any time prior to the deadline.

Deadline: Votes in this race must reach the administrators by midnight 4 May 1996.

Voting details: 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 a majority. Your votes for second and third place are important, but you may give your candidate only one ranking on your ballot. In order to win, a candidate must receive at least 20% of the first-ballot first-place votes 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. Thus candidates and their supporters will need to canvass fans on both sides of the pond. You may send your ballot to either administrator, but it will be tabulated with the other votes from the side of the Atlantic on which you reside. Votes from fans not resident in either Europe or North America will not count towards either 20% minimum, but are important to the outcome of the race.

Hold Over Funds: This choice, like 'No Award' in Hugo balloting, gives you the chance to vote for no TAFF trip this year, if the candidates do not appeal. Hold Over Funds may be voted for in any position, and is exempt from the 20% requirement; thus, if it receives a majority of the votes on the final ballot, no TAFF trip will be held this year regardless of how many votes Hold Over Funds received on the first ballot.

No Preference: For voters who prefer not to choose between candidates, but don't want the trip held over.

Donations: TAFF gratefully accepts your freely-given money and material for auction; such generosity has sustained the Fund for over 40 years. TAFF is fandom's oldest travel fund, and one of its worthiest causes -- give early and often! Please contact your nearest administrator for details.

Candidates: Each candidate has posted a bond, promising -- barring Acts of God -- to travel to LAcon III, the 1996 World Science Fiction Convention, in Anaheim, California, 29 August - 2 September 1996, if elected; and has provided signed nominations and a platform (overleaf).

Please read both sides of this ballot before voting. Send entire sheet as your vote.

Name

Address

Phone number (we do not list or exchange this information)

Signature: ______________________________

Enclosed is ____________ as a contribution to TAFF. Please make cheques etc payable to Dan Steffan or Abigail Frost, not to TAFF, and in the currency of the administrator's country. If you think your name may not be known to the administrators, then in order to qualify your vote, please give, in the space below, the name and address of an active fan (not a fan group, a candidate or their nominator) who is known to them and to whom you are known:


1996 TAFF BALLOT Europe to North America

M J ('Simo') Simpson

Simo? Who he? Founding editor of Tales from the Broken Drum, former editor of Mostly Harmless, co-organiser of the legendary Inconsequential conventions, lifelong SF fan, active in fandom since 1984, and now a Filthy Pro (my fanzine's title), working for SFX magazine.

I hear LAcon 3 is a dry con. No British fan should have to suffer like that -- certainly not a drinking legend like Martin Tudor. I bravely volunteer to save him! Moreover, I will produce a TAFF report, or if not, I will produce Not the TAFF Report, detailing what I do while Martin is in LA.

Nominators: Jeanne Bowman, Bill Donaho, Martin Easterbrook, Rob Newman, A. J. Shepherd ('Dop').

Martin Tudor

As 100 words aren't enough to give you even a taste of how charming, intelligent, handsome, caring, incredibly reliable and efficient I am, I'll list what I've done: 130+ assorted fanzines, newszines and convention publications; been abused by Greg Pickersgill and Michael Ashley; served on 25+ convention/local group committees; lost a bet to D West; been a member of three apas (producing 30+ apazines); created "coloured paper-clip" fandoms; negotiated 15+ convention hotel contracts (saving one Novacon £7,000); lost TAFF; almost won two Novas. Other than that, I'm usually in the bar. A TAFF Report? When d'ya want it?

Nominators: Andy Hooper, Dave Langford, Spike Parsons, Greg Pickersgill, Bob Shaw.


Please read and fill out both sides of this sheet. Send in entire sheet as your vote. Do not detach this portion!

I vote for (rank 1, 2, 3 etc):

[ ] M J ('Simo') Simpson

[ ] Martin Tudor

[ ] Hold Over Funds

[ ] No Preference

Send ballot & donation to:

Abigail Frost
95 Wilmot Street
London
E2 0BP
United Kingdom

Dan Steffan
3804 S. 9th Street
Arlington
VA 22204
USA


Reproduction of this form is encouraged. It is the official voting vehicle and must be reproduced verbatim. Anyone doing so should substitute their name here: Dave Langford