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Original ballots from the 2020 presidential election have been added to the holdings of the Free Belarus Museum, becoming an important part of the collection dedicated to Belarus’s recent history. These documents not only reflect a pivotal moment in the country’s socio-political life but also serve as tangible evidence of events that significantly shaped Belarusian society.
The ballots were donated to the museum by former political prisoner and activist Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk. In August 2020, immediately after the election, an attempt was made to destroy them — they were taken to a boiler house in Brest and thrown into a fire, in violation of fundamental legal standards and procedures for preserving electoral documentation. However, local activists managed to rescue some of the documents and pass them on to Sharenda-Panasiuk.
During her imprisonment for human rights and civic activism, the ballots remained hidden in Belarus. Only after she left the country was it possible to arrange their safe transport to Warsaw and their transfer to the museum.
Today, 20 ballots have been incorporated into the Free Belarus Museum’s collection as authentic artifacts of the era. They hold significant historical and documentary value, enabling researchers and visitors to directly engage with material evidence of the 2020 electoral process.
Preserving such objects is a key part of the museum’s mission — to collect, safeguard, and present testimonies that help interpret contemporary Belarusian history and foster a culture of memory for future generations.
