1976-7 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 European fans to the USA 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 $1.00 (75p). These votes and the continued interest of fans are what makes TAFF possible.

Who may vote? Voting is open to anyone who was active in fandom (i.e. fanzines, clubs, conventions etc.) prior to September 1975, and who contributes no less than $1.00 (75p) 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 cheques should be made payable to the relevant administrator, not to TAFF.

Deadline: Votes must reach the administrators by noon, Easter Monday 1977.

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 second, third, 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 that TAFF should slow down its programme of trips. "Hold over funds" may be voted for in any position, just as if it were a 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 1977 WorldCon in Miami Beach, Florida. 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 COMPLETED BALLOTS AND CONTRIBUTIONS TO:-

EUROPEAN ADMINISTRATOR

AMERICAN ADMINISTRATOR

Peter Weston
72 Beeches Drive,
Erdington,
Birmingham B24 0DT, U.K.

Roy Tackett,
915 Green Valley Road, NW,
Albuquerque
New Mexico 87107, U.S.A.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Your ballot and contribution entitle you to a free chance in a special lottery; European winner will receive an original Eddie Jones painting and a similar prize will be awarded to the American winner.

Reproduction of this form is encouraged providing only that the text is reproduced complete and unaltered.

side 2:

THE PLATFORMS

Terry Jeeves

TAFF candidate ... Editor of British Fandom's longest-running fanzine Erg -- now in its 17th year of publication. Founder-member of OMPA, and of the BSFA for which he edited Vector in the formative years. Creator and purveyor of Soggies and numerous other cartoon-critturs to fanzines far and wide. A Fan who has been active in fan-publishing and who has been attending conventions for even longer than he cares to say. But not an old-fan-and-tired, Terry still brings a bright inventive mind to his fanac and has recently turned his cartooning skills to the making of several award-winning animated s.f. films. Humorous, of course. We -- the 'umbly undersigned -- can't think of a better delegate to send Stateside to meet the people he already knows through correspondence. ERGO --IT HAS TO BE JEEVES FOR TAFF!

Eric Bentcliffe, Lynn Hickman, Ed Connor, Chris Fowler, Jan Howard Finder.

Peter Roberts

One of Britain's best-known and most active fans, Peter Roberts has since 1968 published more than 100 fanzines, including the Checkpoint newsletter, The Little Gem Guide to SF Fanzines, and the ever-popular Egg. He contributes regularly to both British and American fanzines and looks forward to writing a full TAFF report, if elected. Just as active in conventions, in Britain and Europe, Peter was Fan GoH at the 1974 Belgian Sfancon and the 1976 British Eastercon. He helped organize the successful 1975 SEACON and is currently on the committee for the 1979 UK WorldCon bid. He has a pleasant, friendly personality, enjoys meeting people and is happiest when drinking a Guinness and discussing anything from ossifrages and science fiction to fanzines and Cornish nationalist vegetarianism. In short, Peter Roberts is the ideal TAFF candidate.

Harry Bell, Terry Hughes, Jerry Kaufman, Waldemar Kumming, Ian Maule.

Peter Presford

Although Peter can be termed a "seventies fan", he is pleased to have so many friends from all walks of fandom. So far as pubbing his ish is concerned, he has produced two 'zines, Madcap, which has been enjoying some success as a genzine, and of course Malfunction, which as he puts it, "has been grubbing around in the roots of UK fhandom for years". Having put in a stint as a convention chairman at this year's [1976] Eastercon, Peter now feels he has gained enough insight to do justice to the awe-inspiring task of standing for TAFF; "If I come out of this alive," he was heard to say, "I certainly won't let down anyone good enough to vote for me."

Brian Robinson, Steve Sneyd, Peter Knifton, Paul Ritz, Bruce Townley.


I vote for (list 1, 2, 3, 4)

Terry Jeeves


Peter Roberts


Peter Presford


Hold Over Funds


Signature


Name (print):


Address:




Enclosed is my contribution to TAFF of: ________
($1.00 or 75p minimum amount)

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

Name:


Address:


********** RETURN THIS BALLOT TO THE APPROPRIATE ADMINISTRATOR **********