Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill into law last week that makes intentionally altering ballots or election reports a second-degree felony, which is punishable by up to 20 years in jail. The bill, HB 574 (pdf), specifies that “knowingly or intentionally” counting invalid votes or refusing to count valid votes, or altering the report to include invalid votes or exclude valid votes, is a second-degree felony offense. The Act goes into effect on Sept. 1. According to the Texas Penal Code, the punishment for a second-degree felony is jail time no more than 20 years or less than two years, with an optional fine of up to $10,000. Previously, it was a Class A misdemeanor to intentionally make a vote cast under false pretenses or provide misleading statements or representation on election-related documents, which is punishable by up to one year in jail with an optional fine of up to …