Introduction. Current development of information technologies facilitates pre-election campaigning with the help of top-notch mass media, such as the Internet. That greatly boosts distribution of misleading information, materials and messages discrediting candidates, as well as manipulation of social consciousness. Purpos. The research aims at analyzing topical issues of legal regulation of pre-election campaigning in the Internet and working out a set of recommendations that improve corresponding norms of the electoral legislation. Results. The author has studied the legislation of the Russian Federation that regulates the various ways of pre-election campaigning in mass media and the Internet; has found the legal limitations of pre-election campaigning in the Internet; has investigated the basic violations of pre-election campaigning in the Internet. Conclusion. Within legal regulation of political campaigning in the Internet, one must pay attention to the characteristics of information in the global information framework. The most important goal to achieve is the balance of constitutionally protected values – right to free elections, freedom of speech and information. Pre-election campaigning in the Internet can be considered a separate subject of legal regulation, which suggests corresponding changes into the Act «On basic guarantees…».