DUFF BALLOT 2000
Australasia to North America

Since 1972 the Down Under Fan Fund, a fan-supported fellowship, has encouraged closer ties between science-fiction fans in Australasia and North America through an alternating annual exchange of representatives. DUFF is supported by voluntary contributions from fans all over the world. DUFF delegates attend the Worldcon or a national convention in the host country and visit fans they might otherwise never meet in person. Delegates are responsible for raising funds and administering DUFF until a new delegate from their continent is elected and are expected to publish trip reports which can be sold to aid the fund.

DONATIONS: DUFF exists solely on the donations and contributions of fansand fan organizations. Please give generously. Anyone may contribute and donations in excess of the voting donation are gratefully accepted. Checks should be made payable to Janice Gelb (in North America) or Terry Frost (in Australasia). Money should always be sent in the administrator's home currency.

VOTING: DUFF uses the preferential system of balloting to guarantee an automatic runoff and a majority win. The voter ranks the candidates in order of preference (1, 2, 3). If there is no absolute majority for one candidate after the first count of votes first-place votes for the lowest-ranking candidate are dropped and the second-place votes on those ballots are assigned to the candidates named. This goes on until one candidate has a majority. It is therefore important to vote for second, third, etc. places, especially if you choose to write in a candidate. (The voter is not required to fill in more than their name, address and first choice.) Ballots must be signed and accompanied by a donation of at least $4 in US currency or $6 in Australian currency. You must return the entire ballot (both sides). Each voter may vote only once.

VOTERS' ELIGIBILITY: Anyone who has been active in fandom on or before January 1, 1999, may vote. "Active in fandom" means involved in fannish pursuits such as fanzine writing or reading, convention running or attending, amateur film/video production or club participation. Voting is limited to natural persons.

CANDIDATES: Three Australasian fans and two North American fans serve as nominators for each of the three candidates. Each candidate has provided a $25 bond, a brief written platform, and a description of previous North American travel. They have also promised (barring Acts of God) to travel to Chicon 2000 in Chicago, Illinois, USA, August 31 - September 4, 2000 and to serve as administrator of the fund until a new Australasian delegate is elected.

DEADLINE: Ballots must reach an administrator by APRIL 30, 2000. Send this entire ballot with US$4 or A$6 (or more) donation to an administrator.

VERIFICATION: The voters must be natural persons who have been active in fandom sinceJanuary 1, 1999. If you think you may be unknown to the administrators please give the name of a fan or fan group (other than a candidate or nominator) who can vouch that you meet these criteria.

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PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY AND LEGIBLY. LIST IN ORDER OF PREFERENCE(1, 2, 3 ETC.):

(__) Susan Batho

(__) Cathy Cupitt

(__) Write-in

(__) Hold Over Funds

(__) No Preference

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Donation (Your generosity is appreciated.)

DUFF 2000 Candidate Platforms

Susan Batho

Susan Batho is also known as Sue Smith, SueP Clarke, Susan Smith Clarke. She has chaired five Medtrek Conventions and a Syncon, put out over 400 fanzines in the past 25 years (media, fantasy, apas, faanzines and genzines), organised the occasional club (Fannish & non-fannish), works as Research Student Officer in one of Australia's largest universities (UWS) - although she's giving that up for two years to complete her Ph.D. in media audience studies, on a scholarship. And she's still having trouble accepting the fact that she occasionally teaches fan studies... She has won numerous FanQ and ASFMA awards in editing and writing, and has received a Ditmar Award for services to Australian Fandom and an A Bertram Chandler Award, of which she is enormously proud.

Previous North American Travel: Two brief trips for MediaWest*Cons in Lansing, MI (1989 and 1991), a working trip to the 1988 worldcon in New Orleans as a member of the Sydney in 1991 bid committee, and a brief trip to Disneyland in 1999. Alas, I am now on a scholarship as a full-time researcher...

Nominators: Australasia -- Edwina Harvey, Eric Lindsay, Jean Weber; North America -- Chris Barkley, jan howard finder

Cathy Cupitt

Thanks to Aussiecon 3 I've recently developed a taste for Worldcons, and now I'm hoping that you'll let me visit another one as this year's DUFF winner. I love attending conventions, particularly Australian Natcons; in fact I'm an organiser of the Natcon for 2001. I'm also a writer and editor, and have been publishing my fanzine, The Rhizome Factor, for nearly three years. My current job is studying for a Doctorate in Creative Arts at Curtin University, which means that I'm writing a science fiction novel about cloning as my thesis! Send me to Chicon and in return I will write an exceedingly racy, fan-bares-all trip report for your delectation.

Previous North American Travel: I've always wanted to travel in the USA, but until this year I've had neither the money nor the time to do so.

Nominators: Australasia -- Mark Bivens, Grant Stone, Ross Temple; North America -- Lucy Schmeidler, Bob Tucker

DUFF ADMINISTRATORS

Australasia
Terry Frost
4/8 Walker Street
West Brunswick, Victoria 3055, AUSTRALIA
Home Phone: 61 (03) 9388-2434
Internet:hlector@netspace.net.au

North America
Janice Gelb
1070 Mercedes Avenue #2
Los Altos, CA 94022 USA
Home Phone: (650) 949-1198
Internet: j_gelb@yahoo.com

Reproduction and distribution of this ballot is encouraged as long as it is done verbatim. Anyone doing so should substitute their name here: DUFF web site

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