With the U.S. midterms coming up, Meta has issued a reminder about its political and social issues ads restriction period, which will begin on Tuesday, Oct. 27, and will run through Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Like many media outlets, Meta implements a political ads restriction period ahead of some elections to give the public a break from campaign messaging. This can help prevent politicians from engaging in manipulative last-minute tactics aimed at swaying voters.
Meta said no new ads about social issues, elections or politics will be allowed to run in the U.S. its restriction period, but ads that have served at least one impression prior to this time will be allowed to continue running, albeit with limited editing capabilities.
As explained by Meta: “Once the restriction period begins, advertisers can adjust the bid amount, budget amount, and scheduled end date of their ads that require a disclaimer. They can also pause or unpause ads as long as those ads served at least one impression before 12:01 AM PT on Tuesday, October 27, 2026. No other editing capabilities are permitted, which includes not allowing edits related to creative, placement, targeting, or optimization.”
Meta categorizes political and social issues ads as those made by or on behalf of a candidate for public office, a political figure or a political action group.
The company’s list of social issues topics in the U.S. covers all promotions related to:
- Civil and social rights
- Crime
- Economy
- Education
- Environmental politics
- Guns
- Health
- Immigration
- Political values and governance
- Security and foreign policy
Meta said advertisers that want to run political or social issues ads during its restriction period need to have completed the ad authorization process by Tuesday, Oct. 13. Advertisers will also need to submit their political/social issues ads for approval by Oct. 20 “in order to best ensure that your ads are live and have delivered at least one impression with a valid disclaimer before the restriction period begins..
