Yes, Facebook is blocking new political ads leading up to Election Day

With voting in the 2024 general election underway, posts making the rounds on Facebook are criticizing the social media platform’s alleged decision to block political ads in the week leading up to Election Day.

Those posts claim Facebook is implementing a “restriction period” and blocking all new political ads on the platform from Tuesday, Oct. 29 through Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 5. The posts are accompanied by a graphic that reads, “Facebook Silences Us October 29th.”

One of the posts criticized Facebook’s decision and said it poses “a serious obstacle to candidates and any groups promoting or opposing ballot initiatives appearing on the November ballot.” Others claim the restriction period will only make it harder for certain groups to mobilize voters rather than stopping misinformation. 

Several VERIFY readers, including Priscilla and Sally, asked us if the claims about Facebook blocking new political ads ahead of Election Day are true. 

Is Facebook blocking new political ads in the week leading up to Election Day?

Yes, Facebook is blocking new political ads in the week leading up to Election Day.

Meta, Facebook’s parent company, announced last year that it would block new ads about politics, the election and social issues in the week leading up to Election Day in 2024.

The restriction period will run from Tuesday, Oct. 29, through Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 5, Meta said in a blog post on Sept. 30, 2024. During that time, new ads about these topics cannot be published. 

This prohibition on new political ads also includes any that are scheduled to start running between Oct. 29 and Nov. 5. 

VERIFY conducted our own test to see if Meta would block a Facebook advertisement about voter education that we scheduled to begin running on Wednesday, Oct. 30. Our ad was rejected the same day because it didn’t comply with Meta’s policy on ads about social issues, elections or politics. 

This Meta policy isn’t new. Facebook also banned new political ads in the week leading up to the 2020 presidential election.

In explaining its reasoning behind the restriction period, Meta said the company recognizes “there may not be enough time to contest new claims made in the ads” during the final days of an election.

During the 2024 restriction period, any ads that have delivered an impression – or appeared on someone’s feed at least once – before Tuesday, Oct. 29, can still run, though major edits will not be allowed, Meta says. That means some Facebook users will continue to see political ads on their feeds in the week leading up to Election Day. 

Meta has more information about the requirements for advertisers here. 

The company’s policy doesn’t mean Facebook users can’t post about politics, social issues or the election – it’s only a prohibition on new ads related to those topics.

Google is also pausing ads about the election in November, but its policy doesn’t take effect until after the last polls close on Election Day. Google says the measure is “temporary” and the company “will notify advertisers when this policy is lifted.”

Google is implementing the 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,” a company spokesperson told Axios.