Use of public schoolrooms for election meetings

1 Any candidate at an election may, for the purpose of holding public meetings of electors for electoral purposes during the period of an election, use free of charge, other than the cost of lighting and heating, and of cleaning after use, and of repairing any damage done, any suitable room in any public primary school or intermediate school or secondary school after the ordinary school hours, subject to the following provisions: a 3 days’ notice of the proposed public meeting shall be given to the governing body of the school: b the use of the school shall be granted in the order of receipt of applications by or on behalf of the candidates: c no candidate shall have the use of the same room on a second occasion if any other candidate who has not before used it desires to make use of it at the same time under this section. 2 If it is proved that any such meeting was not a public meeting within the meaning of this section, the person by whom and the candidate on whose behalf the meeting was convened shall each be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $1,000. 3 For the purposes of this section, the term candidate means— a any person who has declared his or her intention of becoming a candidate either by advertisement in a newspaper, or by circular, or by announcement at a public meeting, or by duly consenting to nomination, but does not include a candidate who has withdrawn his or her nomination; or b any person whose name has been included in a list submitted under section 127 . 1956 No 107 s 90; 1975 No 28 s 35(1)(a); 1990 No 1 s 42(1), (2) Section 154(2) : amended , on 1 July 2013 , by section 413 of the Criminal Procedure Act 2011 (2011 No 81).