• by Karlene Lukovitz , September 28, 2020

Google notified advertisers on Friday that it will block election ads after the polls close on November 3, Axios reports, based on “an email.”

Specifically, Google said it will block all ads running through all of its ad-serving platforms that reference “candidates, the election, or its outcome, given that an unprecedented amount of votes will be counted after election day this year."

Advertisers were told to expect the ban to last at least seven days after November 3, and expect Google to review the policy on a weekly basis if it continues beyond that initial window.

Google considers any ad to be election-related if it mentions a current state or federal officeholder or candidate, political party, or ballot measure.

The after-polling ban includes “ads that are explicitly election-related, as well as any types of ads that references federal or state elections, or that run based on targeting election-related search queries, including on candidates or officeholders,” according to Axios, which points out that Google has also been warning advertisers about its vetting process for political ads.

The report also notes that Google has used similar temporary ad bans in previous scenarios that might lead to misinformation, like barring ads using COVID-19 terminology when the pandemic began in March and April.

In comparison, Facebook has said it will ban political ads in the seven days leading up to the election, and — although it does not normally “vet” the content of political ads — will reject any ads that claim victory before the results of the election have been declared, reported Fast Company.