Rights and duties of watchers.
Section 28
SEC. 28. Rights and duties of watchers.—Upon entering the voting center, the watchers shall present and deliver to the chairman of the citizens election committee his appointment, and forthwith, his name shall be recorded in the minutes. The appointment of the watcher shall bear the personal signature or the facsimile signature of the candidate or the duly authorized representative of the political party or coalition of political parties who appointed him or of organizations authorized by the Commission under Section 27. The watchers shall have the right to stay in the space reserved for them inside the voting center. They shall have the right to witness and inform themselves of the proceedings of the citizens election committee, including its proceedings during the registration of voters, to take notes of what they may Bee or hear, to take photographs of the proceedings and incidents, if any, during the counting of votes, as well as of election returns, tally boards and ballot boxes, to file a protest against any irregularity or violation of law which they believe may have been committeed by the committee or by any of its members or by any persons, to obtain from the committee a certificate as to the filing of such protest or of the resolution thereon, to read the ballots after they shall have been read by the chairman, as well as the election returns after they shall have been completed and signed by the members of the committee without touching them, but they shall not speak to any member of the committee, or to any voter, or among themselves, in such a manner as would distract the proceedings, and to be furnished with a certificate of the number of votes cast for each candidate duly signed by all the members of the committee. Eefusal of the members of the committee to sign and furnish such certificate shall constitute an election offense and shall be penalized under the 1978 Election Code.