Considering the extra difficulties faced by absentee voters, I think it is important for elections officials to make all appropriate efforts to discern the identity and intent of the voter.  For instance, a voter signing Bob instead of Robert should not be considered a material omission; omitting the year on the date should not be a material omission, if the year can be clearly identified by the printing date of the ballot; consideration should be given to typical variances in signatures.  In general, elections officials should strive to identify and count the intent of the voter whenever possible, as this brings us closer to our common goal of the widest possible democratic participation.