diff --git a/packages/api-derive/src/democracy/preimages.ts b/packages/api-derive/src/democracy/preimages.ts
index 678da6181a..82923b729b 100644
--- a/packages/api-derive/src/democracy/preimages.ts
+++ b/packages/api-derive/src/democracy/preimages.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,9 @@
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
 
 import type { Observable } from 'rxjs';
-import type { Hash } from '@polkadot/types/interfaces';
+import type { AccountId, Balance, BlockNumber, Hash, PreimageStatus, Proposal } from '@polkadot/types/interfaces';
+import type { Bytes, Option } from '@polkadot/types-codec';
+import type { ITuple } from '@polkadot/types-codec/types';
 import type { DeriveApi, DeriveProposalImage } from '../types';
 
 import { map, of } from 'rxjs';
@@ -10,12 +12,50 @@ import { map, of } from 'rxjs';
 import { isFunction } from '@polkadot/util';
 
 import { firstMemo, memo } from '../util';
-import { parseImage } from './util';
+
+type PreimageInfo = [Bytes, AccountId, Balance, BlockNumber];
+type OldPreimage = ITuple<PreimageInfo>;
+
+function isDemocracyPreimage (api: DeriveApi, imageOpt: Option<OldPreimage> | Option<PreimageStatus>): imageOpt is Option<PreimageStatus> {
+  return !!imageOpt && !api.query.democracy.dispatchQueue;
+}
+
+function constructProposal (api: DeriveApi, [bytes, proposer, balance, at]: PreimageInfo): DeriveProposalImage {
+  let proposal: Proposal | undefined;
+
+  try {
+    proposal = api.registry.createType('Proposal', bytes.toU8a(true));
+  } catch (error) {
+    console.error(error);
+  }
+
+  return { at, balance, proposal, proposer };
+}
+
+function parseDemocracy (api: DeriveApi, imageOpt: Option<OldPreimage> | Option<PreimageStatus>): DeriveProposalImage | undefined {
+  if (imageOpt.isNone) {
+    return;
+  }
+
+  if (isDemocracyPreimage(api, imageOpt)) {
+    const status = imageOpt.unwrap();
+
+    if (status.isMissing) {
+      return;
+    }
+
+    const { data, deposit, provider, since } = status.asAvailable;
+
+    return constructProposal(api, [data, provider, deposit, since]);
+  }
+
+  return constructProposal(api, imageOpt.unwrap());
+}
 
 function getDemocracyImages (api: DeriveApi, hashes: (Hash | Uint8Array | string)[]): Observable<(DeriveProposalImage | undefined)[]> {
   return api.query.democracy.preimages.multi(hashes).pipe(
     map((images): (DeriveProposalImage | undefined)[] =>
-      images.map((imageOpt) => parseImage(api, imageOpt))
+      images.map((imageOpt) => parseDemocracy(api, imageOpt))
     )
   );
 }
diff --git a/packages/api-derive/src/democracy/referendumsInfo.ts b/packages/api-derive/src/democracy/referendumsInfo.ts
index ab8ea0147d..4c1e6663df 100644
--- a/packages/api-derive/src/democracy/referendumsInfo.ts
+++ b/packages/api-derive/src/democracy/referendumsInfo.ts
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ import { combineLatest, map, of, switchMap } from 'rxjs';
 import { isFunction } from '@polkadot/util';
 
 import { memo } from '../util';
-import { calcVotes, getStatus, parseImage } from './util';
+import { calcVotes, getStatus } from './util';
 
 type VotingDelegating = PalletDemocracyVoteVoting['asDelegating'];
 type VotingDirect = PalletDemocracyVoteVoting['asDirect'];
@@ -132,9 +132,9 @@ export function _referendumInfo (instanceId: string, api: DeriveApi): (index: BN
     const status = getStatus(info);
 
     return status
-      ? api.query.democracy.preimages(status.proposalHash).pipe(
-        map((preimage): DeriveReferendum => ({
-          image: parseImage(api, preimage),
+      ? api.derive.democracy.preimage(status.proposalHash).pipe(
+        map((image): DeriveReferendum => ({
+          image,
           imageHash: status.proposalHash,
           index: api.registry.createType('ReferendumIndex', index),
           status
diff --git a/packages/api-derive/src/democracy/util.ts b/packages/api-derive/src/democracy/util.ts
index 0baf037309..7bd0e471d9 100644
--- a/packages/api-derive/src/democracy/util.ts
+++ b/packages/api-derive/src/democracy/util.ts
@@ -1,17 +1,13 @@
 // Copyright 2017-2021 @polkadot/api-derive authors & contributors
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
 
-import type { Bytes, Option } from '@polkadot/types';
-import type { AccountId, Balance, BlockNumber, PreimageStatus, Proposal, ReferendumInfoTo239, Tally } from '@polkadot/types/interfaces';
+import type { ReferendumInfoTo239, Tally } from '@polkadot/types/interfaces';
 import type { PalletDemocracyReferendumInfo, PalletDemocracyReferendumStatus, PalletDemocracyVoteThreshold } from '@polkadot/types/lookup';
-import type { ITuple } from '@polkadot/types/types';
-import type { DeriveApi, DeriveProposalImage, DeriveReferendum, DeriveReferendumVote, DeriveReferendumVotes, DeriveReferendumVoteState } from '../types';
+import type { Option } from '@polkadot/types-codec';
+import type { DeriveReferendum, DeriveReferendumVote, DeriveReferendumVotes, DeriveReferendumVoteState } from '../types';
 
 import { BN, bnSqrt } from '@polkadot/util';
 
-type PreimageInfo = [Bytes, AccountId, Balance, BlockNumber];
-type OldPreimage = ITuple<PreimageInfo>;
-
 interface ApproxState {
   votedAye: BN;
   votedNay: BN;
@@ -26,10 +22,6 @@ function isCurrentStatus (status: PalletDemocracyReferendumStatus | ReferendumIn
   return !!(status as PalletDemocracyReferendumStatus).tally;
 }
 
-function isCurrentPreimage (api: DeriveApi, imageOpt: Option<OldPreimage> | Option<PreimageStatus>): imageOpt is Option<PreimageStatus> {
-  return !!imageOpt && !api.query.democracy.dispatchQueue;
-}
-
 export function compareRationals (n1: BN, d1: BN, n2: BN, d2: BN): boolean {
   while (true) {
     const q1 = n1.div(d1);
@@ -141,44 +133,10 @@ export function getStatus (info: Option<PalletDemocracyReferendumInfo | Referend
 
   const unwrapped = info.unwrap();
 
-  if (isOldInfo(unwrapped)) {
-    return unwrapped;
-  } else if (unwrapped.isOngoing) {
-    return unwrapped.asOngoing;
-  }
-
-  // done, we don't include it here... only currently active
-  return null;
-}
-
-function constructProposal (api: DeriveApi, [bytes, proposer, balance, at]: PreimageInfo): DeriveProposalImage {
-  let proposal: Proposal | undefined;
-
-  try {
-    proposal = api.registry.createType('Proposal', bytes.toU8a(true));
-  } catch (error) {
-    console.error(error);
-  }
-
-  return { at, balance, proposal, proposer };
-}
-
-export function parseImage (api: DeriveApi, imageOpt: Option<OldPreimage> | Option<PreimageStatus>): DeriveProposalImage | undefined {
-  if (imageOpt.isNone) {
-    return;
-  }
-
-  if (isCurrentPreimage(api, imageOpt)) {
-    const status = imageOpt.unwrap();
-
-    if (status.isMissing) {
-      return;
-    }
-
-    const { data, deposit, provider, since } = status.asAvailable;
-
-    return constructProposal(api, [data, provider, deposit, since]);
-  }
-
-  return constructProposal(api, imageOpt.unwrap());
+  return isOldInfo(unwrapped)
+    ? unwrapped
+    : unwrapped.isOngoing
+      ? unwrapped.asOngoing
+      // done, we don't include it here... only currently active
+      : null;
 }