I generall support Margaret Luca's comment.  

As a serial absentee voter in the state of Viriginia, I'd like to know that my ballot was going to be counted (there is already so much more that could go wrong with an absentee ballot getting lost in the mail or not arriving on time) and I would like to keep absentee voting as hassle free as possible---it's already quite a hassle just to get an absentee ballot sent to you in time to get it back for the election... especially when you are residing overseas... and I always feel a little nervous using one of the standard Federal Election ballots, though I did have to for the 2004 presidential elections because I didn't receive my ballot in time.  The registrar of the vote will verify that the absentee voter is registered to vote.  All the witness signatures and dates are virtually meaningless---this regulation seems to be a ploy to make it easier to reject votes.  What really matters is that you know (1) who sent the ballot, which should be evident based on name and address and/or from the return address envelope that the registrar sends out and (2) that the voter's intentions are clearly marked on the ballot.  Everything this regulation is nitpicking at seems to be immaterial.  Is this regulation really addressing true concerns among the voting public and the registrars?  If the public is concerned that it is too easy to get an absentee ballot in Virginia, perhaps they should give it a try next election; it takes a lot of effort to request and return an absentee ballot and that effort should be fully respected!