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Quanta, v. 1, issue 3, August 1949
Page 18
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18. LET'S GIVE EVERYONE A VOTE! Bill Evans During the past ten years that there have been Science Fiction conventions there has been considerable dissatisfaction with the method used in selecting the sites for the conventions. In 1940, when Denver had been selected for 1941, some of the fans in the east wanted the convention back "home" rather than in such a remote--for them--place. For a time there was talk of boycotting the Denvention and having two annual conventions, the second in the east, but after a while things quieted down and only the Denvention was held. This year it seems possible that a similar situation may arise, with a less fortunate ending. The big gripe by Joe Fan though, is that he has no voice in the selection of the site unless he is actually at the convention; and even then very little unless he is in the correct smoke-filled room at the right time. Take the case of Torcon.... Both these gripes may be corected by simple measures. First, every member of the Convention Committee should have a vote. Voting would be by mail, with late-comers able to vote at the convention. Three tellers from the host city would count the secret ballot, and announce the results at the second day's meeting. In case no one city received a clear majority of the votes, the two cities with the highest number of votes would be voted on upon the convention floor. Since it would be a mail ballot, cities, clubs, or other groups wishing to bid for the convention would submit their bids in brief - 500 word - letters, which would be sent out with the ballot to the members of the committee. Second, to give those fans who are farthest from the current convention, and hence have the most trouble in making the journey, a greater voice in the selection of the next site, the ballots would be weighed. Fans living within 500 miles of the convention city would receive one vote; those within 1000 miles, two; and any over, three votes. The fans would receive, upon registering, one, two, or three ballots. Those people farthest from the convention should have the greatest interest in future conventions due to their inability to come. Under this set-up, each part of the country would have an almost equal vote, not in any one year, but in the long run. The problem of proportional representation handles itself, as does the problem of one group of fans "sewing up" the convention and keeping it in that area. To ensure secret voting, and yet make sure that the voting was in accord with the regulations, a system similar to that used by some of the big national organizations would be used. Each vote of one, two, or three ballots would be sealed in a small numbered envelope signed by the voter. Upon receipt of the votes, the envelopes would be checked against the list of voters, opened, and the member of ballots checked, and then the ballots, still unread, would be put in the ballot box for later counting. The same procedure would be followed, in general, for personal voting by late-comers. The tellers would have to be familiar with Fandom, to eliminate
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18. LET'S GIVE EVERYONE A VOTE! Bill Evans During the past ten years that there have been Science Fiction conventions there has been considerable dissatisfaction with the method used in selecting the sites for the conventions. In 1940, when Denver had been selected for 1941, some of the fans in the east wanted the convention back "home" rather than in such a remote--for them--place. For a time there was talk of boycotting the Denvention and having two annual conventions, the second in the east, but after a while things quieted down and only the Denvention was held. This year it seems possible that a similar situation may arise, with a less fortunate ending. The big gripe by Joe Fan though, is that he has no voice in the selection of the site unless he is actually at the convention; and even then very little unless he is in the correct smoke-filled room at the right time. Take the case of Torcon.... Both these gripes may be corected by simple measures. First, every member of the Convention Committee should have a vote. Voting would be by mail, with late-comers able to vote at the convention. Three tellers from the host city would count the secret ballot, and announce the results at the second day's meeting. In case no one city received a clear majority of the votes, the two cities with the highest number of votes would be voted on upon the convention floor. Since it would be a mail ballot, cities, clubs, or other groups wishing to bid for the convention would submit their bids in brief - 500 word - letters, which would be sent out with the ballot to the members of the committee. Second, to give those fans who are farthest from the current convention, and hence have the most trouble in making the journey, a greater voice in the selection of the next site, the ballots would be weighed. Fans living within 500 miles of the convention city would receive one vote; those within 1000 miles, two; and any over, three votes. The fans would receive, upon registering, one, two, or three ballots. Those people farthest from the convention should have the greatest interest in future conventions due to their inability to come. Under this set-up, each part of the country would have an almost equal vote, not in any one year, but in the long run. The problem of proportional representation handles itself, as does the problem of one group of fans "sewing up" the convention and keeping it in that area. To ensure secret voting, and yet make sure that the voting was in accord with the regulations, a system similar to that used by some of the big national organizations would be used. Each vote of one, two, or three ballots would be sealed in a small numbered envelope signed by the voter. Upon receipt of the votes, the envelopes would be checked against the list of voters, opened, and the member of ballots checked, and then the ballots, still unread, would be put in the ballot box for later counting. The same procedure would be followed, in general, for personal voting by late-comers. The tellers would have to be familiar with Fandom, to eliminate
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