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 European fans to North American conventions, and brought North 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 -- not less than £1 or $1 US. These votes, and the continued generosity of fandom, make TAFF possible.
Who may vote? Voting in the 1988 election is open to anyone who began activity in fandom prior to September 1986, and who completes the ballot according to instruction and makes the required minimum donation. Contributions in excess of the minimum are encouraged and gratefully accepted. Voting is by secret ballot, one vote per person, signed ballots only accepted. Votes may be changed at any time prior to the deadline. "Write-ins" are permitted but not encouraged.
Deadline VOTES IN THIS ELECTION MUST REACH ADMINISTRATORS BY 15th APRIL 1988.
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 an overall majority. It is therefore IMPORTANT to vote for second, third, and fourth place on your ballot. Also, it is a waste of time to vote for any candidate in more than one place. 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 support both at home and abroad. Please note that while you may send your vote 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 otherwise encouraged.
Hold Over Funds This choice, similar to "No Award" in Hugo balloting, gives the option of voting for for no TAFF Trip in the event that no candidates are sufficiently appealing, or it is felt that the frequency of trips should be slowed. Hold Over Funds may be voted for in any position, and is exempt from the 20% Rule. 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 money and material for fund-raising sale, as long as it is given without obligation. Such donations from individuals and groups (including conventions) have supported fandom's oldest travel fund for over 30 years. Persons either ineligible or feeling themselves unqualified to vote are frequent givers to one of fandom's worthiest causes. They sometimes become TAFF winners in time
Candidates Each candidate has been nominated by five individuals or couples, in the case of this Europe-to-North America election, three from Europe and two from North America. Each has promised that barring unforeseen and inescapable circumstances they will, if elected, travel to the 1988 Worldcon in New Orleans, Louisiana. Their electoral platforms and their nominators are detailed overleaf.
VOTES AND CONTRIBUTIONS SHOULD BE SENT TO (For Europeans) GREG PICKERSGILL, 7a LAWRENCE ROAD, SOUTH EALING, LONDON W5 4XJ, U.K. (For North Americans) JEANNE GOMOLL, BOX 1443, MADISON, WISCONSIN 53701-1443, U.S.A. N.B. Make checks payable to relevant individual, NOT TO TAFF.
side 2:
1988 TAFF Ballot
Europe to the United StatesLilian Edwards and Christina Lake
Since our first fateful meeting over a Blue Lagoon in 1980, we've done just about everything there is to do in fandom, mostly together. We've edited fanzines jointly (This Never Happens, our frequently almost-award-winning genzine), with others, and even on our own; helped run conventions as disparate as Mexicon, Conspiracy, and Faircon; and were D. West's very first groupies. We have lots of enthusiasms we're dying to share -- comics, feminism and cointreau fondue. No woman from Europe has won TAFF for 25 years, so isn't it time one (or two) did? (And neither of us is married (yet).)
Nominators -- Dave Langford, Judith Hanna, Simon Ounsley, Jerry Kaufman, David Bridges and Linda Blanchard.
Martin Tudor
I first heard about fandom around 1979, attended Novacon 10 in 1980 and since then I've worked on a number of conventions (including the Eurocon in 1984 and the Worldcon in 1987), been a member of a few different APAs (Frank's, Eurapa and The Organization) and of course have written a few bits and pieces for fanzines. But I'm probably better known for rarely refusing a drink, rarely sleeping, and even more rarely publishing my fanzine ('Empties' -- one in three years, that's not too many). Lately I've been coediting a bimonthly newszine ('Critical Wave') and working on Novacon 18 and Mexicon 3.
Nominators -- Roelof Goudriaan, Pam Wells, Arthur Thomson, Mike Glicksohn, Ted White.
Dave Wood
Dave Wood and Dave Wood who stand alone hope to take a touch of the old world to the magnolia scented halls of New Orleans. Described, in a field where there is little honour, as one who has supped with the assassin of ambition, he's nevertheless always happy to sit on panels, gossip, grace room parties, prop up bars or eat chittlings and grits. Edits XYSTER, council member of the BSFA, he met his twin nemesis SF and jazz long before the average fan had encountered the split-infinitive. He admits long-suppressed morbid desires to write a TAFF report.
Nominators -- D. West, Bob Shaw, Ron Gemmell, Bill Burns, Stu Shiffman.
Please read and understand both sides of this sheet before voting. Send ENTIRE SHEET AS VOTE.
DO NOT DETACH THIS PORTION:
I VOTE FOR (rank 1-2-3-4):
( __ ) LILIAN EDWARDS / CHRISTINA LAKE
( __ ) MARTIN TUDOR
( __ ) DAVE WOOD
( __ ) Hold Over Funds
I enclose ........ as a contribution to TAFF.
Please make cheques payable to GREG PICKERSGILL or JEANNE GOMOLL, (NOT to 'TAFF') and payable in the currency of that administrator's country. Minimum donation for voting is £1 or $1.
SIGNATURE
NAME AND ADDRESS (Please Print)If you think your name may not be known to the administrators please ensure the eligibility of your vote by giving hereunder the name and address of an active fan (not a 'fan group') who is known to them and to whom you are known.
Reproduction of this form encouraged. It is the official voting vehicle and must be reproduced verbatim. Anyone so doing should substitute their name here -- John Harvey. [HTML adaptation by Dave Langford.]