Taff Ballot 2016

Welcome to the 2016 TAFF Race.

Meet our candidates

 Anna Raftery

What’s with all these whippersnappers running for TAFF?! Well, going to cons for more than half my life has to count for something, right?I’ve been an active fan, filker and con-goer since 13; at this point the community is quite literally my family. My love for being involved extends to being on con committees (including as filk programme head for Loncon 3) and setting up new cons from the ground up. I am so excited to run this race to represent Europe at MidAmeriCon2, meet fans across North America, and share that experience in my trip report.

Nominated by: Claire Brialey, John Coxon, Gareth Kavanagh, David Weingart, Christina O’Halloran

Wolf von Witting

“Gentlefen who desired to vote for both candidates in the previous race get their wish.

Now, my friends in Swedish and German fandom, I really need your votes too. But regardless of the outcome of this race, I hope to prove myself useful to TAFF for the following three years in relating the fund to continental sf-fandoms. I dislike talking about myself, but I can see the necessity in it. People ask. So I decided once and for all to answer all questions in CLOCKWISE #2016 end of January.

All I wish for is an interesting race. May TAFF win!”

Nominated by: Mihaela Marija Perkovic, Dave Lally, John Henri Holmberg, Teddy Harvia, Mike Glyer

Please rank candidates with 1, 2, etc. where 1 is your first preference:

Name:

Address:

Email/phone:

TAFF may contact you regarding your ballot or to send out newsletters. We do not publish your data or pass it to any other organisation.

The Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund

was created in the 1950s 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. It exists solely through the support of fandom. Interested fans all over the world vote on the candidates, each vote being accompanied by a small minimum donation. These votes, and the continued generosity of fandom, are what make TAFF possible.

Who may vote? Voting in the 2016 race is open to anyone active in fandom before April 2014 who donates at least £2.00 (GBP), 3 Euros or $3.00 (USD) to TAFF (larger donations are gratefully accepted). Voting is by secret ballot: only one vote is counted per person, and you must give your name to the administrators. You may change your vote at any time prior to the deadline. Votes in this race must reach the administrators by 23:59 on Tuesday 29th of March 2016 (British Summer Time aka UTC+1).

Donations: TAFF gratefully accepts your freely given money, material for auction and other relevant donations; such generosity has sustained the Fund for more than 50 years. TAFF is fandom’s longest-running 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 of £15, (or in this case a rough equivalent in Euros) promising – barring unforeseen circumstances – to travel, if elected, to the 2016 Worldcon in Kansas City, MO, USA (Midamericon 2, 17th August to 21st August, 2016). Each candidate has three nominators on their side of the Atlantic and two on the other, each of whom has personally contacted the administrators with their nomination. Each candidate has also provided a platform of up to 101 words (published overleaf).Anyone active in SF fandom can run for TAFF as long as they fulfil these criteria for the relevant race; contact your administrator about future races!

Voting System: TAFF uses a preference voting system similar to the system used in voting for the Hugo Awards, for instance. Voters should rank candidates in order of preference (where a rank of 1 is the voter’s first preference); where relevant, this allows for the lowest-ranked candidates to be eliminated from the race and those votes redistributed according to the next ranking until one candidate has a clear majority. However, a candidate must receive at least 20% of the #1 rank votes on both sides of the Atlantic to win. 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. Votes will be counted according to a voter’s contact address, not where they send their ballot. Votes from fans not resident in either Europe or North America will not count towards either side of the Atlantic for the purpose of this rule.

“Hold Over Funds”: This choice, like “No Award” in Hugo balloting, gives you the chance to vote for no TAFF trip this year, should you feel none of the candidates deserve your support. Hold Over Funds may be voted for in any position, and is exempt from the 20% requirement: if it receives a majority of the votes on the final ballot, no trip will be held this year.

“No Preference”: For voters who prefer not to choose between candidates, but don’t want the trip held over.

How to Vote: Either send a copy of this form with a cheque, or pay via PayPal. The minimum donation to vote is $3 (USD) or £2 (GBP) or 3 Euros. Cheques should be made payable to “Curt Phillips” (for checks in USD) or to “TAFF” (for cheques in GBP or Euros). PayPal donations should be made to the email addresses below indicating your contact details and your ranked voting preferences in the comments’ section. If you do not fill in the comments section, your vote may not be counted!

Send your signed and completed ballot form and donation to:

Europe: Jim Mowatt – cheques payable to TAFF

273 The Rowans, Milton, Cambridge, CB24 6ZA

Paypal using email jim [at] umor.co.uk

North America: Curt Phillips – Cheques payable to Curt Phillips

19310 Pleasant View Dr. Abingdon, VA 24211

Paypal using email absarka_prime [at] comcast.net

Enclosed is as my contribution to TAFF – minimum $3 (USD) £2 (GBP) or 3 Euros

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 one of their nominators) who is known to the administrators and who can vouch for you being an active fan, eligible to vote.