Facebook said Monday it has banned from its platform a broad variety of false statements about voting in the United States ahead of the midterm elections.

Why it matters: The social network has long held that it should not be the arbiter of truth on its platform. Yet as the midterms approach, Facebook is under extraordinary pressure, with executives trying to avoid a repeat of the misinformation campaigns that mired the 2016 election.

Details: Facebook started banning "misrepresentations about how to vote, such as claims that you can vote by text message, and statements about whether a vote will be counted. (e.g. 'If you voted in the primary, your vote in the general election won’t count')" last month, Public Policy Manager Jessica Leinwand wrote in a blog post.