Russia’s elections weren’t always this dishonest. Here’s how the system broke down and why voting can still expose fraud.

Russians will vote for members of the State Duma from September 18 to 20. The authorities are counting on a solid — though not triumphant — victory; the opposition is both uniting and quarreling as it searches for the best protest-voting strategy; and many potential voters are growing more skeptical about the whole idea of showing up at a polling station or using the remote electronic voting system, since the results will be “faked” anyway. How reasonable is that view? Are elections in Russia really illegitimate from the outset? Which ones were the most dishonest? And how do you find the motiv