When Voting Ends Next Month, So Do The Political Ads On Google

We’ve reached the familiar point that comes every four years — everywhere you turn, there’s a screen flashing campaign buzzwords or glad-handing politicians pleading for your vote. And for some of the organizations behind all of these ads, there’s a reason (often a nefarious one) to keep running them even after the final votes have been cast on Election Day.

Google’s response

This will be the second consecutive presidential election cycle for which Google will prohibit advertisers from running election-related ads after the polls close. The Big Tech giant confirmed its decision in a statement, noting that it was compelled to do so “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.”

Specifically, any ads related to or with a direct reference to U.S. elections are impacted by this policy, which covers various platforms including Google Ads, YouTube, and Shopping ads.

Google isn’t alone in cracking down on campaign ads. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, implemented a policy blocking the approval of any new political ads during the final week of a campaign … and that policy will reportedly be in place this year too.

But for how long?

For now, Google is playing coy when it comes to how long political ads will be blocked on its various platforms after November 5.

It might be helpful to take a look at how the company handled the aftermath of the 2020 election. A similar policy went into effect after the polls closed and it was lifted in December.

But then came the January 6, 2021, riot on Capitol Hill, which prompted Google to reimpose its ban.

Advertisers will be notified when Google begins accepting political ads again.

Chris Agee October 19th, 2024

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