Penghu's year-end local elections formally kicked off with candidate registration, and one independent contender is pushing to replace the usual campaign speeches with a live debate.

• Registration for Penghu's five-in-one year-end elections opened, with candidates signing up over several days in early September.
• Independent county magistrate candidate Hsu Chih-fu publicly challenged all rivals to a televised debate instead of the traditional platform presentation.
• Under the rules, a debate can replace the standard format if two-thirds of candidates agree.
• The magistrate race is crowded: the DPP's Wu Shu-chin, the KMT's Chen Chen-chung, and several independents plus a Taiwan Solidarity Union candidate have declared.
• The argument for a debate is that voters can judge governing ability directly, rather than through campaign leaflets.

Outlook: Whether the debate happens depends on whether two-thirds of the candidates sign on once registration closes.