Privacy Policy

Effective Date: March 10, 2026

Introduction

This Privacy Policy describes how Leigh Hinton for Melbourne City Council, District 2 (“Campaign,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, discloses, and protects the personal information of visitors to our website at votehinton2026.org (the “Website”) and participants in our SMS/MMS messaging program, Leigh Hinton Campaign Alerts (the “SMS Program”).

By using our Website or opting in to our SMS Program, you agree to the collection and use of your information as described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use our Website or opt in to the SMS Program.

Information We Collect

When you interact with our Website or SMS Program, we may collect the following categories of information:

1. Personal Information You Provide Directly

Contact Information: Name, email address, phone number (including mobile), and mailing address when you sign up to volunteer, sign a petition, submit a contact form, opt in to the SMS Program, or make a donation.
Mobile Phone Number: If you provide your mobile phone number through our volunteer signup form, contact form, petition form, or other campaign channels and consent to receive text messages, we will use it to enroll you in our SMS Program.
Donation Information: When you contribute to the Campaign, we collect information required by Florida campaign finance law, including your name, mailing address, occupation, and employer. Payment card details are processed directly by ActBlue and are never stored on our servers.
Volunteer Preferences: Activity interests (yard signs, phone banking, door knocking, event hosting, etc.) and availability.

2. Information Collected Automatically

Device & Browser Data: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device type, screen resolution, and referring URL.
Usage Data: Pages visited, time spent on pages, links clicked, and navigation paths through the Website.
SMS Program Data: Opt-in and opt-out dates, message delivery status, and keyword responses (STOP, HELP, etc.).

Cookies & Tracking Technologies

Our Website uses cookies, pixels, and similar tracking technologies to improve your experience and analyze website traffic. These may include:

Essential Cookies: Required for the Website to function properly (session management, security).
Analytics & Performance Cookies: Help us understand how visitors use the Website so we can improve content and functionality.
Third-Party Tracking: We use GoHighLevel (LeadConnector) for form processing and website analytics. GoHighLevel may place cookies or tracking pixels on your device to attribute form submissions and website visits.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect the functionality of certain features on the Website.

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

To communicate with you about campaign activities, volunteer opportunities, and events via email, phone, or text message
To send you recurring SMS/MMS messages through the Leigh Hinton Campaign Alerts program if you have opted in
To process and acknowledge your donations through ActBlue
To coordinate volunteer activities and petition signature collection
To comply with Florida campaign finance reporting requirements
To improve our Website, outreach strategy, and campaign communications
To respond to your inquiries submitted through our contact form

Text Message (SMS/MMS) Program — Leigh Hinton Campaign Alerts

The following terms apply to our SMS/MMS messaging program, Leigh Hinton Campaign Alerts, operated by Leigh Hinton for Melbourne City Council, District 2.

How You Opt In (Consent):

You may opt in to receive text messages from the Campaign by:

Providing your mobile phone number on our volunteer signup form, contact form, or petition form on the Website, where an SMS consent notice is displayed
Providing your mobile phone number through our GoHighLevel (LeadConnector) forms that include SMS consent language
Texting a designated keyword to our campaign phone number
Providing verbal or written consent at in-person campaign events

By opting in, you expressly consent to receive recurring automated campaign-related text messages (SMS and MMS) at the mobile phone number you provided, including messages sent using an automatic telephone dialing system (autodialer). You understand and agree that your consent is being provided to Leigh Hinton for Melbourne City Council, District 2.

Types of Messages:

Campaign updates, news, and announcements
Volunteer coordination and event reminders
Calls to action (petitions, voter outreach, community engagement)
Donation acknowledgments and fundraising updates
Election and voting reminders

Message Frequency: Message frequency varies based on campaign activity. You may receive up to 10 messages per month during regular periods and up to 20 messages per month during active campaign periods leading up to the election.

Message and Data Rates: Message and data rates may apply. Please consult your mobile carrier for details about your text messaging and data plan. You are solely responsible for any charges from your carrier related to receiving text messages.

How to Opt Out: You may opt out of receiving text messages at any time by replying STOP to any campaign text message. You may also text STOP to our campaign phone number at any time. After opting out, you will receive a one-time confirmation message stating: “You have been unsubscribed from Leigh Hinton Campaign Alerts. You will no longer receive text messages from this campaign. Reply START to re-subscribe.” No further messages will be sent unless you opt in again.

How to Get Help: For assistance with text messages, reply HELP to any campaign text message, or contact us at leigh@votehinton2026.org. You may also call or write to us at the contact information listed at the bottom of this Privacy Policy.

Consent Not Required for Purchase: Your consent to receive text messages is not a condition of making a donation, signing a petition, volunteering, or engaging in any other activity with this Campaign. You may participate in all Campaign activities without opting in to text messages.

No Sharing of Opt-In Data: We will not sell, rent, lease, loan, trade, or otherwise share or disclose your mobile phone number, opt-in status, or any information collected through the SMS Program to any third party for their own marketing or promotional purposes. Your phone number is used solely for Campaign communications from Leigh Hinton for Melbourne City Council, District 2.

Supported Carriers: The SMS Program is supported on most major U.S. wireless carriers including but not limited to AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint, U.S. Cellular, and others. Service and delivery are subject to carrier availability and coverage. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.

TCPA Compliance: Our SMS Program is operated in compliance with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), 47 U.S.C. § 227, and applicable FCC regulations. We only send text messages to individuals who have provided their prior express consent. If you believe you have received a message in error, please reply STOP or contact us immediately.

Information Sharing & Disclosure

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their own marketing purposes.

We may share your information with the following categories of service providers, solely to the extent necessary to operate the Campaign:

ActBlue: Our donation processing platform. ActBlue processes your payment information directly and is subject to their own privacy policy and terms.
GoHighLevel (LeadConnector): Our CRM, form processing, and messaging platform used to manage contacts, forms, and campaign communications including SMS messages.
Website Hosting: Our hosting provider processes server requests which may include IP addresses and usage data.
SMS/MMS Service Providers: Third-party messaging platforms that deliver text messages on our behalf. These providers only receive the information necessary to deliver messages and are contractually prohibited from using your data for any other purpose.

All service providers are contractually obligated to protect your personal information and use it only for the purposes for which it was shared.

Legal Requirements: Donation information is reported to the Brevard County Supervisor of Elections and the Florida Division of Elections as required by Florida law and becomes part of the public record. We may also disclose your information if required by law, subpoena, court order, or government investigation.

Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including to comply with Florida campaign finance reporting requirements and legal record-keeping obligations.

SMS opt-in records: We maintain records of your consent (opt-in date, method, and content of consent) for a minimum of four (4) years, as required by the TCPA.
Opt-out records: If you opt out of text messages, we will retain your phone number solely to honor your opt-out request and will not use it for further messaging.
Donation records: Retained as required by Florida campaign finance law.
Other data: Retained for the duration of the Campaign and a reasonable period thereafter, unless you request earlier deletion.

You may request deletion of your personal information at any time by contacting us, subject to our legal record-keeping obligations.

Data Security

We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical security measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

Encryption of data in transit (SSL/TLS)
Secure storage of personal information with access controls
Regular review of data collection, storage, and processing practices

However, no method of internet transmission or electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Children’s Privacy

Our Website and SMS Program are not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 13, we will promptly delete that information. If you believe we have collected information from a child under 13, please contact us immediately at leigh@votehinton2026.org.

Your Rights & Choices

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information (subject to legal record-keeping obligations)
Opt-Out of Email: Unsubscribe from campaign emails by clicking the “unsubscribe” link in any email or by contacting us
Opt-Out of SMS: Reply STOP to any text message to be removed from the SMS Program
Do Not Track: Our Website does not currently respond to “Do Not Track” browser signals

California Residents (CCPA/CPRA): If you are a California resident, you may have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), including the right to know what personal information we collect, the right to request deletion, and the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information. We do not sell your personal information. To exercise your California privacy rights, contact us at leigh@votehinton2026.org.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided at the bottom of this Privacy Policy. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

Third-Party Links

Our Website may contain links to third-party websites, including ActBlue (donations), social media platforms, voter registration sites, and government resources. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those third-party sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Significant changes will be noted by updating the “Effective Date” at the top of this page. If we make material changes to how we handle SMS Program data, we will notify active SMS subscribers via text message. Continued use of the Website or SMS Program after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised Privacy Policy.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, our data practices, or the SMS Program, please contact us:

Leigh Hinton for Melbourne City Council, District 2

P.O. Box 410692
Melbourne, FL 32941

Phone: (321) 220-9137

Email: leigh@votehinton2026.org

For SMS Program help, reply HELP to any campaign text message or email us at the address above.

This Privacy Policy is provided in connection with the Leigh Hinton Campaign Alerts SMS Program and the votehinton2026.org website. See also our Terms of Service.

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