Do absentee votes count if there are nominations from floor?

I am a member of a small nonprofit organization. Several days before the election of the officers, the nominating committee sent the rest of us a list of nominees. A John Doe was not on the list, but a Joe Brown was on the list as the only nominee for Treasurer.

On the day of the election someone nominated from the floor John Doe as Treasurer. So now there were two nominees for that seat.

In the meantime three absentee votes had come in the mail, and all were for Joe Brown because he was the only nominee for that seat on the list.

John Brown, the last-minute nominee from the floor, lost the election because the three absentee votes were for Joe Brown, the only nominee on the list mailed to all members a few weeks before.

Is this legitimate? Or should the absentee votes have been thrown out because John Brown was not on the list?

Thanks.