Google to Halt Election Ads Post-Poll Closure on Election Day

Google has decided to stop running election ads after polls close on Election Day to combat misinformation and uphold electoral integrity. This policy aims to ensure that voters receive accurate information during the crucial moments of the election process. By halting ads at this critical time, Google seeks to create a fairer environment for both candidates and voters amid ongoing concerns about misleading advertising.

Google stated that it anticipates the pause will continue for several weeks and intends to inform advertisers when it is reinstated.

Google is once again enforcing a temporary ban on all election-related advertisements in the U.S. after polls close on Election Day, aiming to combat the spread of misinformation. "As we’ve done in the past, we will temporarily pause ads related to U.S. elections after the last polls close on November 5," said Google spokesperson Michael Aciman. He emphasized that this decision is a precautionary measure, considering the likelihood of votes continuing to be counted after Election Day.

The pause is expected to last for several weeks, with Google planning to notify advertisers when the ban is lifted—similar to the approach it took following the 2020 election. During this period, advertisers will be prohibited from running ads in the U.S. that reference candidates, ballot measures, and election processes or results. However, this restriction does not apply to public information campaigns run by state or federal election officials.

The policy extends to all of Google's advertising platforms, including Google Ads, Display & Video 360, YouTube Ads, Google Ad Exchange, and Shopping Ads.

This move is part of a broader strategy to curb misinformation, a practice that both Google and Facebook employed around the 2020 election. During that time, both platforms implemented temporary pauses on political ads before and after Election Day, which political strategists from both parties said disrupted campaign efforts and affected a multi-billion-dollar advertising industry. Initially, Google lifted its ad pause after five weeks in 2020 but reinstated it until Inauguration Day following the events of January 6th.

Unlike Google, Meta has not yet announced a similar ban for this election cycle. However, last year, Meta reinstated a policy from previous election cycles, blocking new political, electoral, and social issue ads during the final week of campaigning, with plans to lift this restriction the day after the election. Meta’s president of global affairs, Nick Clegg, explained the policy, stating, "In the final days of an election, we recognize there may not be enough time to contest new claims made in ads."

Google's temporary ban reflects ongoing efforts by major tech companies to balance the dissemination of election-related information while mitigating the risks of misinformation during critical voting periods.

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Source: politico‍