After the last voters cast their ballots on Election Day, Google will shut down all election advertising on its platform. The internet giant claims this is to stop the spread of “misinformation” in the critical period after polls close.
Google has announced that it will temporarily halt all ads related to U.S. elections, their outcomes, or the election process across its platforms once the last polls close on November 5. This policy is designed to limit confusion and the potential for false claims to spread in the time between the end of voting and the official certification of results, which in recent elections has stretched on for days or weeks after Election Day.
The pause will apply broadly to ads running through Google’s various advertising channels, including Display & Video 360, Google Ad Exchange, Google Ads, Google Shopping, and YouTube. It covers ads placed by candidates, current elected officials at the federal, state and local levels, as well as ads from political parties and groups advocating for or against ballot measures.
However, the ban will not affect public information campaigns run by government entities that are responsible for administering elections. Google expects the pause to remain in effect for several weeks after Election Day, with advertisers to be notified when it is lifted.
A Google spokesperson explained to Axios that the decision was made “out of an abundance of caution” due to the high likelihood that vote counting will continue past November 5. The tech giant implemented a similar policy in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, which it lifted briefly in December ahead of the Georgia Senate runoffs.
Google is not alone in adjusting its political ad policies around this year’s midterms. Meta, parent company of Facebook and Instagram, previously announced it would block new issue, electoral and political ads in the final week before Election Day. The social media giant stated that the restriction was in recognition of the limited time to scrutinize and respond to new ad claims so close to the election.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
