2009 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. 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 2009 race is open to anyone who was active in fandom prior to April 2007, 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 18 April 2009. This is 8 AM, GMT, Sunday 19 April 2009.

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 Worldcon 2009, 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:
'Chris Garcia' for US dollar checks mailed to Chris Garcia.
'TAFF' for all UK (sterling) cheques posted to Bridget Bradshaw.

If you think your name may not be known to the administrators, please provide the name and contact details of an active fan (not a fan group, a candidate, or their nominator) who is known to them and who is willing to vouch for you:

Active fan known to the administrator: _________________________________________________


2009 TAFF Ballot -- Europe to North America

Steve Green

Since encountering fandom circa 1974, I've been a fanwriter, fanzine publisher, cartoonist, convention organiser and FAPA vice-president. From 1987-96, I co-edited the newszine Critical Wave; its online resurrection was announced in 2008. My own fanzines include Thunderbox (with my wife Ann) and Gaijin. I'm an sf fan, a horror fan, a comics fan, a telefantasy fan; I see no boundary fences. In "real life", I’ve been a newspaper reporter, radio pundit and film journalist. I’ve long had transAtlantic links, with regular columns in Seattle’s Apparatchik and the Bay Area’s Drink Tank. Can’t wait to make some more North American friends.

Nominators: Randy Byers (US), Lloyd and Yvonne Penney (Can), Mark Plummer (UK), Martin Tudor (UK), Peter Weston (UK)

Tom Womack

I'm of that small generation that met fandom when they met Usenet; I'm still on rasfw for the conversation, though my random musings mostly go on fivemack.livejournal.com. I'll pub my ish as I campaign.

Jo Walton lured me to the first Ploktacon, where I discovered free-wheeling open conversations that worked as much like Usenet as could be contrived in the flesh; that lured me to Minicon and a living fannish culture.

If I win TAFF, I will marvel at the purported existence of warmth in Canada, and try to get to know some non-Minneapolitan American fans.

Nominators: Liz Batty (UK), Clare Boothby (UK), Vicki Rosenzweig (US), Alison Scott (UK), Geri Sullivan (US)

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.):

[__] Steve Green
[__] Tom Womack
[__] Hold Over Funds
[__] No Preference

Send ballot & donation to:

North America -- Chris Garcia, 962 West Weddell Dr. #15, Sunnyvale, CA 94089, USA
Checks payable to: Chris Garcia. E-mail Garcia [at] computerhistory.org with questions/comments.

Europe -- Bridget Bradshaw, 103 Rustat Road, Cambridge CB1 3QG, UK.
Cheques payable to: TAFF. E-mail bugshaw [at] gmail.com with any questions/comments.

PayPal: to bugshaw [at] gmail.com, Payments should include the information asked for on this ballot: ranked list of votes; voter's name and contact details; active fan who can vouch (if necessary). An additional small donation is appreciated to cover PayPal's fees. UK pounds sterling is preferred.

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: http://taff.org.uk web site