Low turnout nationwide for Saturday’s referendums brought the silver lining of few voter-instigated irregularities, with the National Police Agency reporting only seven infractions so far, mostly involving voters tearing up or taking home ballots.

Polling places in Taipei, Taichung, and Hsinchu County all separately reported incidents involving a voter tearing up their ballot, while two people in Taipei and Hsinchu City took ballots out of the polling station.

In Taichung, a voter refused to let polling staff verify their ID, and there were also reports of illegal campaigning taking place within 30 meters of a polling station in the city.

The polls opened at 8 a.m. Saturday, with voters able to cast their ballots until 4 p.m.

Temperatures dropped to around 15 degrees Celsius in northern Taiwan on Saturday morning, which might have affected voter turnout, with few queues outside polling stations.

As of 12:30 p.m., turnout in Taipei, New Taipei, Kaohsiung, Taichung, Tainan and Taoyuan stood at between 20-25 percent, according to a preliminary tally by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.

The four initiatives to be voted on include the issues of nuclear power, pork imports, conservation of algal reefs, and whether future referendums should be held concurrently with national elections.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel