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Display & Video 360 users must comply with this Google Ads policy. Visit the Display & Video 360 help center for additional restrictions.
We support responsible political advertising, and expect all political ads and destinations to comply with local legal requirements. This includes campaign and election laws and mandated election “silence periods" for any geographic areas they target.
Google has different requirements for political and election advertising based on region.
In some regions, election ads may run only if the advertiser is verified by Google. In these regions, election ads are subject to disclosure requirements and targeting restrictions; see below for additional information. Google Ad Grants accounts are not eligible to run election ads or apply for election ads verification in these regions. Check the information under the applicable regional heading for verification and restriction information.
In other regions, there are restrictions on political ads. See below for a list of these regions and what is prohibited. There may be additional prohibitions or requirements listed in the local legal requirements policy.
If your ads contain political content that is not restricted here or by the local legal requirements for a given region, your ads may run as long as they are compliant with all other Google Ads policies and local laws and regulations.
Non-compliance with our political content policies may result in information about your account and political ads being disclosed publicly or to relevant government agencies and regulators.
Election Ads
In these regions, election ads are allowed to run only if the advertiser is verified by Google. See below for how we define “election ads” in these regions and the advertiser requirements that apply.
To run election ads in the region to which the ad content pertains, an advertiser must be verified under that region’s Election Ads verification process. For example, an advertiser must complete the Australia Election Ads verification process to run Australia Election Ads in Australia.
To run election ads outside the region to which the ad content pertains, an advertiser must be verified under either the Election Ads verification or Advertiser Identity verification process for the region in which the advertiser is located. For example, a UK-based advertiser must complete a UK verification process to run New Zealand Election Ads in any region outside New Zealand.
Argentina Election Ads
Argentina Election Ads are ads that feature any of the following:
- a national political party, coalition, current elected officeholder, or candidate for President, Vice President, the National Senate, or the National Chamber of Deputies.
Below are requirements that must be met by advertisers who want to run Argentina Election Ads.
Advertiser verification requirements for Argentina Election Ads
Troubleshooter
- If you are trying to run Argentina Election Ads in Argentina, check that you’ve completed Argentina Election Ads verification. Learn more about the verification process.
- If you are trying to run Argentina Election Ads outside Argentina, check that you’ve completed either Election Ads or Advertiser Identity verification.
- Contact us to have your ad reviewed again, or edit the ad. This will resubmit the ad and its destination for review. Most ads are reviewed within 1 business day, though some can take longer if they need a more complex review.
- If you’re unable to complete the verification process, remove any ads that violate the Argentina Election Ads policy.
Australia Election Ads are ads that feature any of the following:
- An Australian federal political party, a candidate for the Australian House of Representatives or Senate, or a current elected federal officeholder in the Australian House of Representatives or Senate.
Below are requirements that must be met by advertisers who want to run Australia Election Ads.
Advertiser verification requirements for Australia Election Ads
Advertisers may run Australia Election Ads in Australia only if the advertiser completes Australia Election Ads verification. Learn how to apply for verification.
- If you are trying to run Australia Election Ads in Australia, check that you’ve completed Australia Election Ads verification. Learn more about the verification process.
- If you are trying to run Australia Election Ads outside of Australia, check that you’ve completed either Election Ads or Advertiser Identity verification.
- Contact us to have your ad reviewed again, or edit the ad. This will resubmit the ad and its destination for review. Most ads are reviewed within 1 business day, though some can take longer if they need a more complex review.
- If you’re unable to complete the verification process, remove any ads that violate the Australia Election Ads policy.
Brazil Election Ads are ads that feature any of the following:
- Federal: A political party, coalition, federation, current elected officeholder or candidate for President, Vice President, the Federal Senate, or the Chamber of Deputies.
- State: A political party, coalition, federation, current elected office holder or candidate for Governor, Vice Governor, the State Legislative Assemblies, or the Federal District Legislative Chamber.
Below are requirements that must be met by advertisers who want to run Brazil Election Ads.
Advertiser verification requirements for Brazil Election Ads Advertisers may run Brazil Election Ads in Brazil only if the advertiser completes Brazil Election Ads verification. Learn how to apply for verification.
Advertisers may run Brazil Election Ads outside of Brazil only if the advertiser completes either Election Ads or Advertiser Identity verification.
- If you are trying to run Brazil Election Ads in Brazil, check that you’ve completed Brazil Election Ads verification. Learn more about the verification process.
- If you are trying to run Brazil Election Ads outside of Brazil, check that you’ve completed either Election Ads or Advertiser Identity verification.
- Contact us to have your ad reviewed again, or edit the ad. This will resubmit the ad and its destination for review. Most ads are reviewed within 1 business day, though some can take longer if they need a more complex review.
- If you’re unable to complete the verification process, remove any ads that violate the Brazil Election Ads policy.
Brazil silent period restrictions
EU Election Ads are ads that feature any of the following:
- A political party, current elected officeholder, or candidate for the EU Parliament;
- A political party, current officeholder, or candidate for an elected national office within an EU member state. Examples include members of a national parliament and presidents that are directly elected; or
- A referendum question up for vote, a referendum campaign group, or a call to vote related to a national referendum or a state or provincial referendum on sovereignty.
Below are requirements that must be met by advertisers who want to run EU Election Ads.
Advertiser verification requirement for EU Election Ads
Advertisers may run EU Election Ads in the EU only if the advertiser completes EU Election Ads verification. Learn how to apply for verification.
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If you are trying to run EU Election Ads in the EU, check that you’ve completed EU Election Ads verification. Learn more about the verification process.
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If you are trying to run EU Election Ads outside the EU, check that you’ve completed either Election Ads or Advertiser Identity verification.
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Contact us to have your ad reviewed again, or edit the ad. This will resubmit the ad and its destination for review. Most ads are reviewed within 1 business day, though some can take longer if they need a more complex review.
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If you’re unable to complete the verification process, remove any ads that violate the EU Election Ads policy.
India Election Ads are ads that feature or are run by any of the following:
- A political party, political candidate, or current member of the Lok Sabha or Vidhan Sabha.
Below are requirements that must be met by advertisers who want to run India Election Ads.
Advertiser verification requirement for India Election Ads
Advertisers may run India Election Ads outside of India only if the advertiser has completed either Election Ads or Advertiser Identity verification.Advertisers that intend to run India Election Ads must submit for each ad a valid pre-certificate issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI) or anyone authorized by the ECI.
Note: An advertiser must first be verified by Google before submitting this pre-certificate for each ad.
If you’ve already been verified by Google, submit pre-certificates for your election ads here.
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If you are trying to run India Election Ads in India, check that you have completed India Election Ad verification, and that you have submitted a pre-certificate for each India Election Ad you want to run. Learn more about the pre-certificate process or verification process.
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If you are trying to run India Election Ads outside of India, check that you’ve completed either Election Ads or Advertiser Identity verification.
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Contact us to have your ad reviewed again. Most ads are reviewed within 1 business day, though some can take longer if they need a more complex review.
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If you’re unable to complete the verification process or don't have a pre-certificate, remove any ads that violate the India Election Ads policy.
Israel Election Ads are ads that feature or are run by any of the following:
- A political party, current elected officeholder, or individual candidate for the Knesset; or,
- A candidate list composed of one or more political parties for the Knesset.
Below are requirements, which must be met by all advertisers who want to run Israel Election Ads.
Advertiser verification requirements for Israel Election Ads Advertisers may run Israel Election Ads in Israel only if the advertiser completes Israel Election Ads verification. Learn how to apply for verification.
During verification, advertisers who want to run Israel Election Ads in Israel must disclose whether they are a candidate, current elected officeholder, political party, or candidate list composed of one or more political parties for the Knesset. For these advertisers, all ads run in the verified account will be considered election ads.
Advertisers who want to run Israel Election Ads in Israel must include disclaimers in their ads as required by Israeli law.
- If you are trying to run Israel Election Ads in Israel, check that you’ve completed Israel Election Ads verification. Learn more about the verification process.
- If you are trying to run Israel Election Ads outside of Israel, check that you’ve completed either Election Ads or Advertiser Identity verification.
- Contact us to have your ad reviewed again, or edit the ad. This will resubmit the ad and its destination for review. Most ads are reviewed within 1 business day, though some can take longer if they need a more complex review.
- If you’re unable to complete the verification process, remove any ads that violate the Israel Election Ads policy.
New Zealand Election Ads are ads that feature any of the following:
- A political party, current elected officeholder, or candidate for the New Zealand Parliament; or
- A referendum option up for vote, a referendum option proponent, or a call-to-vote once a national referendum is officially declared by an Act or Order in Council.
Advertisers may run New Zealand Election Ads in New Zealand only if the advertiser completes New Zealand Election Ads verification. Learn how to apply for verification.
Advertisers who want to run New Zealand Election Ads in New Zealand must follow New Zealand law and applicable Electoral Commission guidance related to disclaimers, including having a clear promoter statement in their ads where required. If required by law, advertisers must obtain authorization from a political party or candidate before purchasing ads.
Advertisers who want to run New Zealand Election Ads in New Zealand must comply with New Zealand law on silence periods.
- If you are trying to run New Zealand Election Ads in New Zealand, check that you’ve completed New Zealand Election Ads verification. Learn more about the verification process.
- If you are trying to run New Zealand Election Ads outside of New Zealand, check you’ve completed either Election Ads or Advertiser Identity verification.
- Contact us to have your ad reviewed again, or edit the ad. This will resubmit the ad and its destination for review. Most ads are reviewed within 1 business day, though some can take longer if they need a more complex review.
- Confirm that you are not trying to run Maori language ads. Unfortunately Maori is not currently a supported language on Ads or DV360, and therefore Maori language ads are not able to run. New Zealand Election Ads in a supported language containing a commonly used Maori word or phrase are permissible. Further information about supported languages for Google ads can be found here and for DV360 here.
- If you’re unable to complete the verification process, remove any ads that violate the New Zealand Election Ads policy.
South Africa Election Ads
South Africa Election Ads are ads that feature any of the following:
- A national political party, current elected officeholder or candidate for the National Assembly, the National Council of Provinces, President, or Deputy President.
Below are requirements that must be met by advertisers who want to run South Africa Election Ads.
Advertiser verification requirements for South Africa Election Ads
Troubleshooter
- If you are trying to run South Africa Election Ads in South Africa, check that you’ve completed South Africa Election Ads verification. Learn more about the verification process
- If you are trying to run South Africa Election Ads outside South Africa, check that you’ve completed either Election Ads or Advertiser Identity verification.
- Contact us to have your ad reviewed again, or edit the ad. This will resubmit the ad and its destination for review. Most ads are reviewed within 1 business day, though some can take longer if they need a more complex review.
- If you’re unable to complete the verification process, remove any ads that violate the South Africa Election Ads policy.
Taiwan Election Ads are ads that feature any of the following:
- A political party, current elected officeholder, or candidate for the elected office of President, Vice President, member of the Legislative Yuan, or the following six municipal mayoral offices: Taipei City, New Taipei City, Taoyuan City, Taichung City, Tainan City, and Kaohsiung City;
Below are requirements that must be met by advertisers who want to run Taiwan Election Ads.
Advertiser verification requirements for Taiwan Election Ads Advertisers may run Taiwan Election Ads in Taiwan only if the advertiser completes Taiwan Election Ads verification. Learn how to apply for verification.
Advertisers must follow Taiwanese law on disclaimers and silence periods.
- If you are trying to run Taiwan Election Ads in Taiwan, check that you’ve completed Taiwan Election Ads verification. Learn more about the verification process.
- If you are trying to run Taiwan Election Ads outside of Taiwan, check that you’ve completed either Election Ads or Advertiser Identity verification.
- Contact us to have your ad reviewed again, or edit the ad. This will resubmit the ad and its destination for review. Most ads are reviewed within 1 business day, though some can take longer if they need a more complex review.
- If you’re unable to complete the verification process, remove any ads that violate the Taiwan Election Ads policy.
UK Election Ads are ads that feature any of the following:
- A political party, current elected officeholder, or candidate for the UK Parliament; or
- A referendum question up for vote, a referendum campaign group, or a call to vote related to a national referendum or a regional referendum on sovereignty
Below are requirements that must be met by advertisers who want to run UK Election Ads.
Advertiser verification requirements for UK Election Ads Advertisers may run UK Election Ads in the United Kingdom only if the advertiser completes UK Election Ads verification. Learn how to apply for verification.
- If you are trying to run UK Election Ads in the UK, check that you’ve completed UK Election Ads verification. Learn more about the verification process.
- If you are trying to run UK Election Ads outside of the UK, check that you’ve completed either Election Ads or Advertiser Identity verification.
- Contact us to have your ad reviewed again, or edit the ad. This will resubmit the ad and its destination for review. Most ads are reviewed within 1 business day, though some can take longer if they need a more complex review.
- If you’re unable to complete the verification process, remove any ads that violate the UK Election Ads policy.
US Election Ads are ads that feature any of the following:
- A current officeholder or candidate for an elected federal office. This includes federal offices such as that of the President or Vice President of the United States, members of the United States House of Representatives or United States Senate;
- A current officeholder or candidate for a state-level elected office, such as Governor, Secretary of State, or member of a state legislature;
- A federal or state level political party; or
- A state-level ballot measure, initiative, or proposition that has qualified for the ballot in its state.
Below are requirements that must be met by advertisers who want to run US Election Ads.
Advertiser verification requirements for US Election Ads Advertisers may run US Election Ads in the United States only if the advertiser completes US Election Ads verification. Learn how to apply for verification.
- If you are trying to run US Election Ads in the United States, check that you’ve completed US Election Ads verification. Learn more about the verification process.
- If you are trying to run US Election Ads outside the United States, check that you’ve completed either Election Ads or Advertiser Identity verification.
- Contact us to have your ad reviewed again, or edit the ad. This will resubmit the ad and its destination for review. Most ads are reviewed within 1 business day, though some can take longer if they need a more complex review.
- If you’re unable to complete the verification process, remove any ads that violate the US Election Ads policy.
In addition to the requirements above, there are further restrictions for state and local Election Ads in some US states. See details by state below.
The following is required of California committees that are required by California Government Code § 84504.6 (2018) to provide express notification to online platforms before purchasing “online platform disclosed advertisements” related to either California candidates for elected office or California ballot measures:
California committees that wish to purchase “online platform disclosed advertisements” must: (1) expressly notify Google and submit additional information about themselves for our transparency report and in-ad disclosures, and (2) verify their account.
Please submit this form to complete the express notification process. If you're using the Display Video 360 platform for advertising, please complete this form to meet the above requirements.
After completing this process, all of the ads in your account will be eligible for the disclosures required by the law. Because in-ad disclosures will appear via the “Why This Ad” icon, you may not opt-out of your ads displaying this icon. For more information about this process and recommendations for account management, visit this best practices guide.
The following is not allowed:
Ads related to ballot measures and candidates for state and local elections
Ads related to ballot measures and candidates for state and local elections
As set forth in N.J. Stat. § 19:44A-22.3(d), before purchasing ads, the following advertisers must submit a copy of the statement of registration required to be filed with the Election Law Enforcement Commission:
A candidate committee, joint candidates committee, political committee, continuing political committee, independent expenditure committee, political party committee or legislative leadership committee, or any group other than such a committee, or any person mak[ing], incur[ring] or authoriz[ing] an expenditure for the purpose of financing a communication as described in N.J. Stat. § 19:44A-22.3(a) and (b).
This step must be completed before running any ads.
Please complete this form to meet the above requirements.
As set forth in N.J. Stat. § 19:44A-22.3(d), before purchasing ads, the following advertisers must submit a copy of the statement of registration required to be filed with the Election Law Enforcement Commission:The following is required of independent expenditure committees in the state of New York before purchasing political ads:
Independent expenditure committees that wish to purchase ads related to ballot measures and candidates for New York state and local elections must inform Google that they are independent expenditure committees and submit a copy of their registration documents that have been filed with the New York State Board of Elections.
Independent expenditure committees that wish to purchase ads related to ballot measures and candidates for New York state and local elections must inform Google that they are independent expenditure committees and submit a copy of their registration documents that have been filed with the New York State Board of Elections. Please complete this form to meet the above requirements.
If you're using the Display & Video 360 platform for advertising, please complete this form to meet the above requirements.
The following is required of Virginia online political advertisers that are required by Virginia Code Ann. § 24.2-960 to identify themselves to an online platform as an online political advertiser and certify to the online platform that they are permitted under state and local laws to lawfully purchase or promote for a fee online political advertisements:
Please submit this form to complete the self-identification and self-certification process.
The following is not allowed:
Restricted targeting for election ads
Only the following criteria may be used to target election ads:
Geographic location (except radius around a location)
Age, gender
Contextual targeting options such as: ad placements, topics, keywords against sites, apps, pages and videos
All other types of targeting are not allowed for use in election ads.
Disclosure requirements for election advertising
All election ads run by verified election advertisers in regions where election ads verification is required must contain a disclosure that identifies who paid for the ad. For most ad formats, Google will automatically generate a “Paid for by“ disclosure, using the information provided during the verification process. Please note that this disclosure is not a replacement for any other disclosures you may be required to include in your ad by law.
- Third-party ad serving on Google Display Network and YouTube
- Audio creatives and Native creatives on Display & Video 360
- Video creatives on Display & Video 360 (except for creatives served on YouTube)
- YouTube Mastheads
- Audio Ads on YouTube (currently only available for US Election Ads serving in the US)
Please note that this disclosure is not a replacement for any other disclosures you may be required to include in your ad by law.
Regional Restrictions
In these regions, there are restrictions on political ads. See below for a list of these regions and what is prohibited for each region. There may be additional prohibitions or requirements listed in the local legal requirements policy.
In Canada, the following is not allowed on Google platforms during an election period regulated by the Canada Elections Act.
Ads that feature a federal political party, leader of a federal political party, or current member or candidate (including nomination contestant) for member of the Parliament of Canada.
Note: This policy does not apply to ads run by Canadian news organizations to promote their news coverage of an election.This policy also does not include ads promoting public health guidance related to COVID-19 or information about electoral processes run by official federal government ministries, departments, or agencies (e.g. civic participation ads run by Elections Canada).
In Canada, the following is not allowed on Google platforms during an election period regulated by the Canada Elections Act.
Note: This policy does not apply to ads run by Canadian news organizations to promote their news coverage of an election. This policy also does not include ads promoting public health guidance related to COVID-19 or information about electoral processes run by official federal government ministries, departments, or agencies (e.g. civic participation ads run by Elections Canada).
- If your ads are disapproved and you believe this is an error (e.g., you are a Canadian news organization promoting your news content and you have chosen Canada as the selected Country in your Google Ads payment profile), you can contact us to have your ad reviewed again or you can directly edit the ad. Editing the ad will resubmit the ad and its destination for review.
- If you’re unable to meet the above mentioned news exemption criteria, remove any content from the ad that violates Regional Restrictions.
In France, the following will be prohibited on Google platforms during the time period beginning three months before the first day of the month during which a general election is to be held, and ending when the election is over:
Ads containing informational content relating to a debate of general interest.
Ads containing informational content relating to a debate of general interest.This does not include ads run by official government communication bodies (i.e. the Service d’information du Gouvernement) promoting public health guidance related to the COVID-19 crisis or information about electoral processes.
In the Philippines, the following is not allowed on Google platforms during an election campaign period or a silence period regulated by the Commission on Elections.
In Singapore, the following are prohibited on Google platforms:
- The outcome of an election to the office of President, a general election of Members of Parliament, a by-election of any Member of Parliament, or a referendum;
- Public opinion on a matter which in Singapore is a matter of public interest or public controversy, with key examples being those relating to race or religion; or
- The legislative process or outcome in Singapore, or bring about, or seek to bring about, changes of the law in the whole or a part of Singapore.
Note: Public service announcements from Government Ministries, Statutory Boards and Organs of State to publicise or disseminate information on national policies, projects, and/or institutions are not prohibited under this policy. In this regard, information regarding national policy announcements at events such as the National Day Rally and Budget also are not prohibited under this policy.
If you are acting on behalf of Government Ministries, Statutory Boards or Organs of State to disseminate such public service announcements, you can apply here.
In South Korea, the following is prohibited on Google platforms: