Google will once again ban election ads after the polls close

Google is planning to ban advertisers from running ads related to the US presidential election after polls close on November 5th. Axios reports that this is the second time Google has decided to ban election ads once polls close, after first implementing the policy during the 2020 election.

Google says it’s reenacting the policy again this year “out of an abundance of caution and to limit the potential for confusion, given the likelihood that votes will continue to be counted after Election Day.”

During the last presidential election in 2020, it took days for President Biden’s win to be confirmed after an influx of postal voting during the pandemic. Google’s policy applies to any US election ads or ads that refer to the US elections that run through its ad platforms like Google Ads, YouTube, Shopping ads, and more.

Meta is also blocking new political ads during the final week of the US election campaign, like it did in 2020. It has also been requiring advertisers to disclose when they use AI or other digital methods to alter ads.