RICHMOND (AP) -- Virginia election officials are advising local election officials to count absentee ballots cast by military voters who did not completely fill out the form.

Tuesday's advisory comes a day after Attorney General Bob McDonnell advised that the federal absentee ballots must be tallied despite a state law ordering some of them to be cast aside.

The dispute flared last week after Fairfax County's registrar said dozens of federal absentee ballots did not include witness addresses on ballot applications. That is required by a 2002 Virginia law designed to stamp out voter fraud.

The three-member state board unanimously agreed to allow those votes to be counted.

Meantime, applications for an Absentee Ballot by mail must be in the Voter Registration office by 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on Tuesday October 28, 2008. The last day for in-person absentee voting in the Registrar's Office is Saturday, November 1.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)