The article deals with the improvement of the existing forms of legal protection of the electoral institutions in Russia. The author explains the implication of the voters’ right to challenge the voters fraud cases in court. The author also proposes the reform of the criminal law to protect the institution of elections, reception of Western norms of law to prevent election fraud. The necessity of the expansion of criminal liability for certain offenses is established Thus, the author proposes that the criminal liability for violation of electoral rights of citizens, such as ballot box stuffing, a violation of lawful election procedure, vote buying, illegal voting, treating be introduced. Russia is interested in application of legal rules that have been successfully tested in the western developed democracies for several decades. To strengthen the protection of the electoral rights of Russian citizens and the electoral institution, we should use the practices of foreign countries in specifying the types of elections abuse and introducing more severe punishment for committing them. Today’s Russia needs comprehensive modernization of legal protection of electoral institutions.