1974 TAFF Ballot

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 across the Atlantic. Since that time, TAFF has regularly brought overseas fans to North America and sent American fans to European 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 no less than one dollar. These votes, and the continued interest of fans are what make TAFF possible.

Who may vote? Voting is open to anyone who was active in fandom (i.e., fanzines, clubs, conventions, etc.) prior to September 1971, and who contributes at least a dollar (or equivalent) to the fund. Contributions in excess of the minimum will be gratefully accepted. Only one vote per person is allowed, no proxy votes, and you must sign your ballot. Details of voting will be kept secret, and write-ins are permitted. Money orders and checks should be made payable to the administrators, not to TAFF.

Deadline: Votes must reach the administrators by Easter Monday, 1974.

Voting details: TAFF uses the Australian system, which guarantees an automatic run-off and a majority win. You rank the candidates in the exact order you wish to vote. If the leading first-place candidate does not get a majority, the first-place votes of the lowest-ranking candidate are dropped, and the second-place votes on those ballots are counted. This process goes on until one candidate has a majority. It is therefore important to vote for 2nd, 3rd, etc. place on your ballot. It is also a waste of time to put one name in more than one place.

Hold Over Funds: This choice, similar to "No Award" in Hugo balloting, gives the voter the chance to vote for no TAFF trip if the candidates do not appeal to him, or if he feels TAFF should slow down its program of trips. Vote for "hold over funds" in any position you wish, just as if it were another candidate.

Donations: TAFF needs continuous donations of money and material (to be auctioned) in order to exist. If you are ineligible to vote, or do not feel qualified to vote, why not donate anyway? It's a good cause.

Candidates: Each candidate has promised, barring acts of God, to travel to the 1974 Worldcon in Washington, D.C. They have posted bond and provided signed nominations and platforms which are reproduced on the other side of this sheet along with the ballot. (For purposes of voting, couples are counted as a single candidate.)

Send ballots and contributions to:

American Administrators

European Administrator

British Administrator

Len & June Moffatt
Box 4456
Downey, CA 90241
USA

Mario Bosnyak
1000 Berlin 62
Merseburger Str. 3
GERMANY

Eddie Jones
25 Mount Way
Bebington Hall Park
Higher Bebington
Cheshire L63 5RA
ENGLAND

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Your ballot and contribution entitles you to a free chance in a lottery for valuable prizes, including artwork and at least one copy of a rare old magazine.

Reproductions of this form are authorized and encouraged, provided that the text is reproduced verbatim.

side 2:

TAFF PLATFORMS

Peter Roberts

In nominating Peter Roberts for TAFF we, the undersigned, have chosen the most active British fan of recent years. Peter has been responsible for 85 fanzines (at last count!) since 1968, and that by itself speaks for his commitment to science fiction fandom and the Fannish Way of Life.

Editor and producer of the UK's leading newszine, Checkpoint, which appears with unbelievable regularity every couple of weeks, he also finds time to put out Egg -- voted the top U.K. fanzine in a recent poll. He is also a regular con attendee, having attended every U.K. convention since 1968, plus the Heidelberg Worldcon.

He's a trufan in every sense of the word, being equally at home discussing Zelazny or playing Brag. He's a pleasant personality and will make an excellent ambassador for British fandom. He guarantees a trip report if elected -- replete, so he promises, with fuzzy room-party photos!

Nominators: Eric Bentcliffe, Gray Boak, Malcolm Edwards, Mike Glicksohn and Bruce Pelz.

Peter Weston

Grin, glasses, and (latterly) moustache, Peter Weston has been a feature of international fandom since 1963 when his fanzine Speculation, originally Zenith, started. In that time both Speculation and its editor have come far, amassing five Hugo nominations and winning the Europa Award at Eurocon One in Trieste. Pete himself, ever a deceptively serious but fundamentally fannish and sociable prime mover, has travelled many points of the fannish compass.

Some examples:

Founded the Birmingham SF Group (1971); helped start Novacon, now held every November; organized the Speculation conferences of 1970-2; gives public lectures on sf; introduced many valuable people to fandom (and rescued others from gafia); and organized the memorable Worcester Eastercon of 1971.

So why did his two previous TAFF attempts misfire? That's a big mystery, but he's still one of the best candidates yet. Why not vote for him now ... and TAFF and fandom in the future.

Nominators: Charlie Brown, Ethel Lindsay, Andy Porter, Andrew Stephenson and Ian Williams.

Do not detach this section

I vote for (list 1, 2, 3)

Peter Roberts


Peter Weston


Hold Over Funds


Signature


Name (please print)


Address




Enclosed is ________ as a contribution to TAFF

If you think your name may not be known to the administrators, in order to qualify for voting please give the name and address of a fan or fan group to whom you are known:

Name


Address


PLEASE SEND COMPLETE FORM BACK