diff --git a/api/handlers/governor/repository.go b/api/handlers/governor/repository.go
index 62f7c78e..cee4bced 100644
--- a/api/handlers/governor/repository.go
+++ b/api/handlers/governor/repository.go
@@ -47,18 +47,21 @@ func NewRepository(db *mongo.Database, logger *zap.Logger) *Repository {
 // GovernorQuery respresent a query for the governors mongodb documents.
 type GovernorQuery struct {
 	pagination.Pagination
-	id string
+	id *types.Address
 }
 
-// QueryGovernor create a new GovernorQuery with default pagination values.
-func QueryGovernor() *GovernorQuery {
-	page := pagination.Default()
-	return &GovernorQuery{Pagination: *page}
+// NewGovernorQuery creates a new `*GovernorQuery` with default pagination values.
+func NewGovernorQuery() *GovernorQuery {
+	p := pagination.Default()
+	return &GovernorQuery{Pagination: *p}
 }
 
-// SetID set the id field of the GovernorQuery struct.
-func (q *GovernorQuery) SetID(id string) *GovernorQuery {
-	q.id = id
+// SetID sets the `id` field of the GovernorQuery struct.
+func (q *GovernorQuery) SetID(id *types.Address) *GovernorQuery {
+
+	// Make a deep copy to avoid aliasing bugs
+	q.id = id.Copy()
+
 	return q
 }
 
@@ -69,10 +72,17 @@ func (q *GovernorQuery) SetPagination(p *pagination.Pagination) *GovernorQuery {
 }
 
 func (q *GovernorQuery) toBSON() *bson.D {
+
 	r := bson.D{}
-	if q.id != "" {
-		r = append(r, bson.E{Key: "_id", Value: q.id})
+
+	if q.id != nil {
+		// In the `governorConfig` and `governorStatus` collections, addresses
+		// are stored as 40 hex digits (instead of the full 64 hex digits).
+		//
+		// Hence, we're using the `ShortHex()` function instead of just `Hex()`.
+		r = append(r, bson.E{Key: "_id", Value: q.id.ShortHex()})
 	}
+
 	return &r
 }
 
diff --git a/api/handlers/governor/service.go b/api/handlers/governor/service.go
index ee8de479..ff99e0f4 100644
--- a/api/handlers/governor/service.go
+++ b/api/handlers/governor/service.go
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ func (s *Service) FindGovernorConfig(ctx context.Context, p *pagination.Paginati
 	if p == nil {
 		p = pagination.Default()
 	}
-	query := QueryGovernor().SetPagination(p)
+	query := NewGovernorQuery().SetPagination(p)
 	govConfigs, err := s.repo.FindGovConfigurations(ctx, query)
 	res := response.Response[[]*GovConfig]{Data: govConfigs}
 	return &res, err
@@ -36,14 +36,14 @@ func (s *Service) FindGovernorConfig(ctx context.Context, p *pagination.Paginati
 // FindGovernorConfigByGuardianAddress get a governor configuration by guardianAddress.
 func (s *Service) FindGovernorConfigByGuardianAddress(
 	ctx context.Context,
-	guardianAddress string,
+	guardianAddress *types.Address,
 ) ([]*GovConfig, error) {
 
 	p := pagination.
 		Default().
 		SetLimit(1)
 
-	query := QueryGovernor().
+	query := NewGovernorQuery().
 		SetID(guardianAddress).
 		SetPagination(p)
 
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ func (s *Service) FindGovernorStatus(ctx context.Context, p *pagination.Paginati
 	if p == nil {
 		p = pagination.Default()
 	}
-	query := QueryGovernor().SetPagination(p)
+	query := NewGovernorQuery().SetPagination(p)
 	govStatus, err := s.repo.FindGovernorStatus(ctx, query)
 	res := response.Response[[]*GovStatus]{Data: govStatus}
 	return &res, err
@@ -65,11 +65,13 @@ func (s *Service) FindGovernorStatus(ctx context.Context, p *pagination.Paginati
 // FindGovernorStatusByGuardianAddress get a governor status by guardianAddress.
 func (s *Service) FindGovernorStatusByGuardianAddress(
 	ctx context.Context,
-	guardianAddress string,
+	guardianAddress *types.Address,
 	p *pagination.Pagination,
 ) (*response.Response[*GovStatus], error) {
 
-	query := QueryGovernor().SetID(guardianAddress).SetPagination(p)
+	query := NewGovernorQuery().
+		SetID(guardianAddress).
+		SetPagination(p)
 
 	govStatus, err := s.repo.FindOneGovernorStatus(ctx, query)
 
@@ -150,7 +152,7 @@ func (s *Service) GetGovernorLimit(ctx context.Context, p *pagination.Pagination
 	if p == nil {
 		p = pagination.Default()
 	}
-	query := QueryGovernor().SetPagination(p)
+	query := NewGovernorQuery().SetPagination(p)
 	governorLimit, err := s.repo.GetGovernorLimit(ctx, query)
 	res := response.Response[[]*GovernorLimit]{Data: governorLimit}
 	return &res, err
diff --git a/api/routes/wormscan/governor/controller.go b/api/routes/wormscan/governor/controller.go
index b688aa31..b64fa326 100644
--- a/api/routes/wormscan/governor/controller.go
+++ b/api/routes/wormscan/governor/controller.go
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ func (c *Controller) FindGovernorConfigurationByGuardianAddress(ctx *fiber.Ctx)
 	}
 
 	// query the database
-	govConfigs, err := c.srv.FindGovernorConfigByGuardianAddress(ctx.Context(), guardianAddress.Hex())
+	govConfigs, err := c.srv.FindGovernorConfigByGuardianAddress(ctx.Context(), guardianAddress)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	} else if len(govConfigs) == 0 {
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ func (c *Controller) FindGovernorStatusByGuardianAddress(ctx *fiber.Ctx) error {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	govStatus, err := c.srv.FindGovernorStatusByGuardianAddress(ctx.Context(), guardianAddress.Hex(), p)
+	govStatus, err := c.srv.FindGovernorStatusByGuardianAddress(ctx.Context(), guardianAddress, p)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/api/types/address.go b/api/types/address.go
index d8c345ee..dcbb736b 100644
--- a/api/types/address.go
+++ b/api/types/address.go
@@ -44,6 +44,12 @@ func (addr *Address) Hex() string {
 //
 // If the full address returned by Hex() is prefixed 12 bytes set to zero,
 // this function will trim those bytes.
+//
+// The reason we need this function is that a few database collections
+// (governorConfig, governorStatus, heartbeats) store guardian addresses
+// as 40 hex digits instead of the full 64-digit hex representation.
+// When performing lookups over those collections, this function
+// can perform the conversion.
 func (addr *Address) ShortHex() string {
 
 	full := addr.Hex()
@@ -54,3 +60,12 @@ func (addr *Address) ShortHex() string {
 
 	return full
 }
+
+// Copy returns a deep copy of the address.
+func (addr *Address) Copy() *Address {
+
+	var tmp vaa.Address
+	copy(tmp[:], addr.address[:])
+
+	return &Address{address: tmp}
+}