Google to block election ads after polls close on Election Day

Google announced it will block ads about the general election on Nov. 5 after the last polls close. 

“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,” Google spokesperson Michael Aciman told The Hill. “We’re implementing this policy 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.”

This will block U.S. election ads, as well as ads that refer to U.S. elections, their processes or outcomes. Google said this is a temporary measure and that it plans to notify advertisers when the policy is lifted. 

Other companies, like Meta, also plan to block political and social ads during the last week of voting. 

During the pause, Google will continue to run public information campaign ads created by state or federal government agencies in an effort to curb misinformation. 

Google tracks political ads through its transparency report, where users can look up information, such as who purchased a particular ad, how much they spent, how many impressions the ad received and where the ad was shown.

During the last election cycle, the company introduced the ban on Election Day ads after polls close. It lifted restrictions in December. 

Following the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection, it reverted to the same policy, ultimately removing blocks in February. 

In 2023, Google started requiring candidates to disclose if their team has used artificial intelligence or synthetic content that’s been digitally altered to depict real or realistic-looking people and events.