Facebook to ban ads claiming a premature win of the presidential election

Facebook will ban ads that falsely state victory in the US presidential race. Last week the company announced it would reject ads from Donald Trump or Joe Biden claiming a premature win on November 3rd.

The policy covers ads that claim legal forms of voting — like voting by mail — will corrupt the outcome of the election. It also bans ads that claim rampant voter fraud could alter the results of the election.

The electoral process is expected to take longer than in years before due to mail-in voting, and the official results likely won’t be announced on November 3rd. Experts worry that because more Democrats are expected to vote by mail than Republicans, Trump could declare an early victory, then sow doubt about the results as more Biden votes trickle in.

Last week Google also announced it would ban election ads after polls close on November 3rd.

Similarly, Facebook is seeking to limit the spread of misinformation about the vote with ad policies targeting the 2020 election. It already banned new political ads the week before the election.