diff --git a/src/cryptonote_core/blockchain.cpp b/src/cryptonote_core/blockchain.cpp
index c38b58841..306530f02 100644
--- a/src/cryptonote_core/blockchain.cpp
+++ b/src/cryptonote_core/blockchain.cpp
@@ -1033,8 +1033,8 @@ bool Blockchain::create_block_template(block& b, const account_public_address& m
     CRITICAL_REGION_BEGIN(m_blockchain_lock);
     height = m_db->height();
 
-    b.major_version = m_hardfork->get_ideal_version();
-    b.minor_version = 0;
+    b.major_version = m_hardfork->get_current_version();
+    b.minor_version = m_hardfork->get_ideal_version();
     b.prev_id = get_tail_id();
     b.timestamp = time(NULL);
 
diff --git a/src/cryptonote_core/cryptonote_basic.h b/src/cryptonote_core/cryptonote_basic.h
index d3db50068..94887b5a0 100644
--- a/src/cryptonote_core/cryptonote_basic.h
+++ b/src/cryptonote_core/cryptonote_basic.h
@@ -277,8 +277,8 @@ namespace cryptonote
   /************************************************************************/
   struct block_header
   {
-    uint8_t major_version;  // now used as a voting mechanism, rather than how this particular block is built
-    uint8_t minor_version;
+    uint8_t major_version;
+    uint8_t minor_version;  // now used as a voting mechanism, rather than how this particular block is built
     uint64_t timestamp;
     crypto::hash  prev_id;
     uint32_t nonce;
diff --git a/src/cryptonote_core/hardfork.cpp b/src/cryptonote_core/hardfork.cpp
index 77839678c..6ecaff056 100644
--- a/src/cryptonote_core/hardfork.cpp
+++ b/src/cryptonote_core/hardfork.cpp
@@ -35,6 +35,17 @@
 
 using namespace cryptonote;
 
+static uint8_t get_block_vote(const cryptonote::block &b)
+{
+  // Pre-hardfork blocks have a minor version hardcoded to 0.
+  // For the purposes of voting, we consider 0 to refer to
+  // version number 1, which is what all blocks from the genesis
+  // block are. It makes things simpler.
+  if (b.minor_version == 0)
+    return 1;
+  return b.minor_version;
+}
+
 HardFork::HardFork(cryptonote::BlockchainDB &db, uint8_t original_version, uint64_t original_version_till_height, time_t forked_time, time_t update_time, uint64_t window_size, int threshold_percent):
   db(db),
   original_version(original_version),
@@ -87,7 +98,7 @@ bool HardFork::do_check(uint8_t version) const
 bool HardFork::check(const cryptonote::block &block) const
 {
   CRITICAL_REGION_LOCAL(lock);
-  return do_check(block.major_version);
+  return do_check(get_block_vote(block));
 }
 
 bool HardFork::add(uint8_t block_version, uint64_t height)
@@ -125,7 +136,7 @@ bool HardFork::add(uint8_t block_version, uint64_t height)
 
 bool HardFork::add(const cryptonote::block &block, uint64_t height)
 {
-  return add(block.major_version, height);
+  return add(get_block_vote(block), height);
 }
 
 void HardFork::init()
@@ -168,7 +179,7 @@ uint8_t HardFork::get_block_version(uint64_t height) const
     return original_version;
 
   const cryptonote::block &block = db.get_block_from_height(height);
-  return block.major_version;
+  return get_block_vote(block);
 }
 
 bool HardFork::reorganize_from_block_height(uint64_t height)
@@ -192,7 +203,7 @@ bool HardFork::reorganize_from_block_height(uint64_t height)
   }
   for (uint64_t h = rescan_height; h <= height; ++h) {
     cryptonote::block b = db.get_block_from_height(h);
-    const uint8_t v = get_effective_version(b.major_version);
+    const uint8_t v = get_effective_version(get_block_vote(b));
     last_versions[v]++;
     versions.push_back(v);
   }
@@ -236,7 +247,7 @@ bool HardFork::rescan_from_block_height(uint64_t height)
   const uint64_t rescan_height = height >= (window_size - 1) ? height - (window_size  -1) : 0;
   for (uint64_t h = rescan_height; h <= height; ++h) {
     cryptonote::block b = db.get_block_from_height(h);
-    const uint8_t v = get_effective_version(b.major_version);
+    const uint8_t v = get_effective_version(get_block_vote(b));
     last_versions[v]++;
     versions.push_back(v);
   }
diff --git a/tests/unit_tests/hardfork.cpp b/tests/unit_tests/hardfork.cpp
index a8d2d381f..210c1959b 100644
--- a/tests/unit_tests/hardfork.cpp
+++ b/tests/unit_tests/hardfork.cpp
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ private:
 static cryptonote::block mkblock(uint8_t version)
 {
   cryptonote::block b;
-  b.major_version = version;
+  b.minor_version = version;
   return b;
 }
 
@@ -358,7 +358,6 @@ TEST(new_blocks, denied)
     ASSERT_TRUE(hf.add(2, 2, 1));
     hf.init();
 
-    ASSERT_FALSE(hf.add(mkblock(0), 0));
     ASSERT_TRUE(hf.add(mkblock(1), 0));
     ASSERT_TRUE(hf.add(mkblock(1), 1));
     ASSERT_TRUE(hf.add(mkblock(1), 2));
@@ -384,7 +383,6 @@ TEST(new_version, early)
     ASSERT_TRUE(hf.add(2, 4, 1));
     hf.init();
 
-    ASSERT_FALSE(hf.add(mkblock(0), 0));
     ASSERT_TRUE(hf.add(mkblock(2), 0));
     ASSERT_TRUE(hf.add(mkblock(2), 1)); // we have enough votes already
     ASSERT_TRUE(hf.add(mkblock(2), 2));
@@ -417,7 +415,6 @@ TEST(reorganize, changed)
 #define ADD_TRUE(v, h) ADD(v, h, TRUE)
 #define ADD_FALSE(v, h) ADD(v, h, FALSE)
 
-    ADD_FALSE(0, 0);
     ADD_TRUE(1, 0);
     ADD_TRUE(1, 1);
     ADD_TRUE(2, 2);