# Retrieving the text of previous ballots

**How do I retrieve the text of previous ballots?**

At [https://voting.swarmnetwork.org](https://voting.swarmnetwork.org/?enableDumpMasternodeDetails=true) you will find the [{ballot-address}](https://archive.secure.vote/0x%7BTXID%7D.json) smart contract for each ballot when clicking the “i" icon of each ballot.

![](/files/-M6oPHeU6fFqRhd0QaPn)

![](/files/-M6oPKHz_-O4KgzHYCDg)

Go to the "Events” tab in etherscan with [https://etherscan.io/address/](https://etherscan.io/address/%7Baddress%7D#events)[{ballot-address}](https://archive.secure.vote/0x%7BTXID%7D.json)#events , then scroll down to the earliest transaction of the contract. Click the Txn Hash to see more details about the transaction.

![](/files/-M6oPN47a5aiYnpxeL55)

The first event has details about the ballot instantiation. *Click to see More*. One of the data (typically the last one) will be the only one to have a 32 bytes [{TXID}](https://archive.secure.vote/0x%7BTXID%7D.json). It should be labelled *specHash*.

![](/files/-M6oPOyHSta67BVDihTX)

Copy the hash and then go to [https://archive.secure.vote/0x{TXID}.json](https://archive.secure.vote/0x%7BTXID%7D.json)\
That will get you the “BallotSpec”, which you can download and open it with a text editor to see the details


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# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.swarmnetwork.org/swarm-network/network-governance/intro/retrieving-the-text-of-previous-ballots.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.