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 $2 or £1. These votes, and the continued generosity of fandom, are what make TAFF possible.
Who may vote? Voting in the 1991 race is open to anyone who was active in fandom prior to January 1990, and who contributes at least $2 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 any time prior to the deadline.
Deadline: Votes in this race must reach the administrators by 15 May 1991.
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 think 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 1991 Worldcon, Chicon, in Chicago, Illinois (August 29 - September 2) if elected; and has provided signed nominations and a platform, reproduced overleaf above the ballot.
Send ballots and contributions to: in North America
Robert Lichtman
P.O. Box 30,
Glen Ellen,
CA 95442,
USAin Europe
Christina Lake
47 Wessex Avenue,
Horfield,
Bristol, BS7 0DE,
EnglandNB: Make cheques payable to relevant individual, NOT TO TAFF.
side 2:
1991 TAFF Ballot -- Europe to North America
Abigail Frost
I can boast if you like: Nova Award (Best Fanwriter), 1985, runner-up 1990; founder-member of two major British fan successes: the Mexicons and the newsletter team (retired in glory at ConFiction). I can flash my eclectic connections: co-conspirators include fanwriters, conrunners, publishing grandees, scumbag barflies. Or promise to amaze Chicon with my ability to switch from patrician to fishwife -- and back. But TAFF's more than the trip; it must reach out or die. I'd use my adminstratorship to build awareness among younger and European fans, and prod them into activity to catch the electorate's eye. Fanzine renaissance 1992? You bet.
Nominators: John Berry, Gary Farber, Dave Langford, Caroline Mullan and Ian Sorensen.
Bruno Ogorolec
Failing quite miserably to come up with something original for my platform, I must resort to quotes. Three perceptive British ladies (names and addresses withheld) have defined my advantages thus: 'Young(ish) European, speaks fluent English, and writes witty fanzine articles which provoke interesting letters.' Here's Harry Andruschak: 'Of course, I disagree with most of [Bruno's) baloney.' Aw, drat! the wrong Harry. I meant Harry Warner: 'If the FAAn awards still existed [Bruno] would deserve one.' Yeah, that's more like it. There's a sensible gentleman. And there's the final world from Skel, of course: 'We can't all be like Bruno Ogorolec...'
Nominators: Jenny Glover, Dick Lynch, Mark Manning, Skel and Walt Willis.
Pam Wells
If you've heard of Pam Wells you're probably thinking of Nutz, possibly Strumpet, or maybe even Six Shooter or Shallow End. You might be thinking of her work on convention committees or pop quizzes, or even her participation in various British APAs. If you know her well, you might be thinking more about her friendliness and sense of humour, or perhaps her passion for shoes and chocolate. But if you were Pam Wells, you'd be thinking how crazy it is to promote yourself in a hundred words, when all you really want to say is: 'Take me, America, I'm yours.'
Nominators: Harry Bond, Jeanne Gomoll, Chuch Harris, Lucy Huntzinger and Martin Tudor.
Please read both sides of this sheet before voting. Send entire sheet as vote.
I vote for (rank 1, 2, 3 etc):
[ __ ] Abigail Frost
[ __ ] Bruno Ogorolec
[ __ ] Pam Wells
[ __ ] Hold Over Funds
Signature
Name and address (legibly, please):
Enclosed is ________ as a contribution to TAFF. (Make sterling cheques payable to Christina Lake and dollar cheques payable to Robert Lichtman.)
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, a candidate or their nominator) to whom you are known:
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: Pam Wells [HTML adaptation by Dave Langford.]