[GretchenM]

Why are there names on ballots anyway?

In case not yet answered: for absentee ballots, the outside envelope has to have the voter's name, address, and signature for matching purposes with the voter registration rolls. Once the signatures are verified, the outer envelope is separated and the vote becomes anonymous (in a perfect world of unfraudulent polling practices).

That is why the GOP is so hot to stop the handling and counting of these ballots. Once they are removed from their envelopes and shuffled into the overall count, you can't locate them to extract them if the signatures turn out to be unvalidatable.

[PeoplesRepublicOfWashington]

for absentee ballots, the outside envelope has to have the voter's name, address, and signature for matching purposes with the voter registration rolls. Once the signatures are verified, the outer envelope is separated and the vote becomes anonymous (in a perfect world of unfraudulent polling practices).

This is why one needs to register in advance of election day! The idea of validating a ballot a month and a half after election day makes no sense.