Taiwan's year-end local elections are set, and a last-minute switch in Miaoli's Gongguan Township has become the county's biggest talking point.

• Registration closed Thursday, locking in a straight blue-green fight for Miaoli county chief between the DPP's Chen Pin-an and incumbent Chung Tung-chin.
• Gongguan township chief Ho Tsai-hsin never registered for re-election; his wife Yeh Mei-hui signed up in his place just before the deadline.
• Ho did not answer calls, and his office would only say one person is elected but two will serve the township.
• Yeh is a retired finance chief from a tech company, and she is running unopposed, as are the chiefs in Houlong and Shihtan.
• Miaoli City and Tongluo drew four candidates each, making them the county's most crowded races.

Outlook: The wife-for-husband swap will keep drawing local scrutiny, but with no challenger on the ballot, Gongguan's outcome is already effectively decided.