2008 TAFF Ballot
North America to Europe

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. Interested fans all over the world vote on the candidates, and each vote is accompanied by a donation of not less than $3 or £2. These votes, and the continued generosity of fandom, are what make TAFF possible.

Who may vote? Voting in the 2008 race is open to anyone who was active in fandom prior to April 2006, and who contributes at least $3 or £2 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, PST, Saturday 17 November 2007. This is 8 AM, GMT, Sunday 18 November 2007.

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 50 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, if elected, to:

Eastercon 2008, 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 or e-mail address: __________________________________________________

(We need your full contact details. TAFF may need to contact you regarding your ballot or to send out newsletters. We do not publish this data or pass it to any other organisation.)

Signature: _____________________________________________________________________

Enclosed is __________ as a contribution to TAFF.

Please make checks/cheques, etc., payable to:

'Suzanne Tompkins' for US dollar checks mailed to Suzanne.

'TAFF' for all UK (sterling) cheques posted to Bridget Bradshaw/Claire Brialey.

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:

Active fan known to the administrator: _________________________________________________


2008 TAFF Ballot -- North America to Europe

Chris Barkley

In many world cultures, the pilgrimage is seen as a serious undertaking; a sacred journey to a place of personal or spiritual importance. When I first entered fandom in the 1970's one of the first (and most exotic) things I learned about was the TransAtlantic Fan Fund, where sf fans were exchanged from the far-flung corners of the United Kingdom and North America. TAFF is not only our annual pilgrimage; it is one of our most important cultural traditions. It would be an exquisite honor to visit the land that gave us such icons as Olaf Stapledon and Doctor Who.

Nominators: Johnny Carruthers (US), Colin Harris (UK), Marcia Kelly Illingworth (UK), Michaele Jordan (US), Laurie Mann (US)

Linda Deneroff

For over 35 years I've had my fingers and toes in many fannish pursuits, ranging from convention running to Star Trek and Star Wars fanzines. I've worked on many conventions including Worldcons and Worldcon bids on both the left and right coasts, in capacities ranging from volunteer to treasurer to chair, starting with Lunacon in the early 1970s, (1980 chair, James White GoH!). Today I live in Seattle, where I help produce Foolscap, a small literary-and-art oriented convention. I love reading, traveling, and attending conventions. I'm thrilled to be nominated, and I hope you'll vote for me.

Nominators: Margaret Austin (UK), Hank Graham (US), Tim Illingworth (UK), Margaret Organ-Kean (US), Kevin Standlee (US)

Chris Garcia

Stop me if you think that you've heard this one before. Chris Garcia is a fan. He's from Northern California. He writes zines like The Drink Tank, Claims Department and Science Fiction San Francisco. He's been a member of ANZAPA, FAPA and a few other APAs. In general he writes as often as he breathes. Chris does game shows at cons, likes fried food, enjoys a good bourbon, plays a mean game of poker, likes cons with Fanzine Lounges that turn into parties, and will talk and talk and talk. He also once fell down a mountain. Ask him about it.

Nominators: James Bacon (UK), Arnie Katz (US), Mark Plummer (UK), John Purcell (US), Ted White (US)

Christian McGuire

I'm a reader, conventioneer, and club fan. I was a regular contributor/first O.E. of The Gallifreyan Home Companion (a Dr. Who APA), and written for other fine fanzines. I've met many British and European fans over the years without getting to know them. My theory of conventions is that everything serves the opportunity for great conversation. If chosen for TAFF, I'd sit down to as many parts of the conversation as possible to meet new people and get to know those I've only briefly encountered before. I'd take a ton of notes, some photos, and write a great trip report!

Nominators: Chaz Boston Baden (US), Vincent Docherty (EU), Mike Glyer (US), Milt Stevens (US), Robbie Bourget & John Harold (UK)

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.):

[__] Chris Barkley

[__] Linda Deneroff

[__] Chris Garcia

[__] Christian McGuire

[__] Hold Over Funds

[__] No Preference

Send ballot & donation to:

North America - Suzanne Tompkins, PO Box 25075, Seattle, WA 98165 USA.

Checks payable to: Suzanne Tompkins. Email suzlet@aol.com with questions/comments.

Europe -- TAFF c/o Claire Brialey, 59 Shirley Road, Croydon, Surrey, CR0 7ES UK throughout the voting period, or

Bridget Bradshaw, 39 (1F2) Viewforth, Edinburgh, EH10 4JE UK after 10 Sep 2007.
Cheques payable to: TAFF. E-mail bugshaw@cix.co.uk with any questions, or if you would like to use PayPal.

For more information on TAFF, visit: http://taff.org.uk

Reproduction of this form is encouraged. It is the official voting vehicle and must be reproduced verbatim.

Anyone doing so should substitute his or her name here: Suzanne Tompkins [HTML conversion by Dave Langford]