Registration for Taiwan's year-end local elections has closed in Taitung County, where 43 candidates already have their seats locked up because nobody signed up to run against them.

• The unopposed group covers 3 township chiefs, 3 county council seats, 31 village heads, and 6 township representatives.
• The county magistrate race has four names: Chen Ying for the DPP, Wu Hsiu-hua for the KMT, and two independents.
• Taitung City is the hottest council battleground, with 17 people fighting for a handful of seats, 7 of them incumbents.
• Yanping Township drew the toughest township chief race with five contenders, while Guanshan and Luye incumbents face no challengers at all.

Outlook: Campaigning now shifts to the contested seats, with the magistrate race between the DPP and KMT candidates the one to watch.