diff --git a/lite/helpers.go b/lite/helpers.go
index 8d6865927..a4a22a3a8 100644
--- a/lite/helpers.go
+++ b/lite/helpers.go
@@ -79,19 +79,11 @@ func (pkz privKeys) signHeader(header *types.Header, first, last int) *types.Com
 	// Fill in the votes we want.
 	for i := first; i < last && i < len(pkz); i++ {
 		vote := makeVote(header, vset, pkz[i])
-		commitSigs[vote.ValidatorIndex] = &types.CommitSig{
-			Signature: vote.Signature,
-			Timestamp: vote.Timestamp,
-		}
+		commitSigs[vote.ValidatorIndex] = vote.ToCommitSig()
 	}
 
-	res := &types.Commit{
-		BlockID:    types.BlockID{Hash: header.Hash()},
-		Precommits: commitSigs,
-		RoundNum:   1,
-		HeightNum:  header.Height,
-	}
-	return res
+	blockID := types.BlockID{Hash: header.Hash()}
+	return types.NewCommit(header.Height, 1, blockID, commitSigs)
 }
 
 func makeVote(header *types.Header, valset *types.ValidatorSet, key crypto.PrivKey) *types.Vote {
diff --git a/types/block.go b/types/block.go
index a204fa495..3f02420ba 100644
--- a/types/block.go
+++ b/types/block.go
@@ -296,21 +296,37 @@ type Commit struct {
 	// NOTE: The Precommits are in order of address to preserve the bonded ValidatorSet order.
 	// Any peer with a block can gossip precommits by index with a peer without recalculating the
 	// active ValidatorSet.
+	HeightNum  int64
+	RoundNum   int
 	BlockID    BlockID      `json:"block_id"`
 	Precommits []*CommitSig `json:"precommits"`
-	RoundNum   int
-	HeightNum  int64
 
 	// Volatile
 	hash     cmn.HexBytes
 	bitArray *cmn.BitArray
 }
 
+func NewCommit(height int64, round int, blockID BlockID, precommits []*CommitSig) *Commit {
+	return &Commit{
+		HeightNum:  height,
+		RoundNum:   round,
+		BlockID:    blockID,
+		Precommits: precommits,
+	}
+}
+
 type CommitSig struct {
 	Signature []byte
 	Timestamp time.Time
 }
 
+func NewCommitSig(signature []byte, timestamp time.Time) *CommitSig {
+	return &CommitSig{
+		signature,
+		timestamp,
+	}
+}
+
 func (commitSig *CommitSig) String(index int, address Address, height int64, round int, blockID BlockID) string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("Vote{%v:%X %v/%02d/%v(%v) %X %X @ %s}",
 		index, cmn.Fingerprint(address),
@@ -320,6 +336,18 @@ func (commitSig *CommitSig) String(index int, address Address, height int64, rou
 		CanonicalTime(commitSig.Timestamp))
 }
 
+func (commitSig *CommitSig) ToVote(index int, height int64, round int, blockID BlockID) *Vote {
+	return &Vote{
+		ValidatorIndex: index,
+		Height:         height,
+		Round:          round,
+		Timestamp:      commitSig.Timestamp,
+		Type:           VoteTypePrecommit,
+		BlockID:        blockID,
+		Signature:      commitSig.Signature,
+	}
+}
+
 // Height returns the height of the commit
 func (commit *Commit) Height() int64 {
 	return commit.HeightNum
@@ -358,15 +386,7 @@ func (commit *Commit) BitArray() *cmn.BitArray {
 
 // GetByIndex returns the vote corresponding to a given validator index
 func (commit *Commit) GetByIndex(index int) *Vote {
-	return &Vote{
-		ValidatorIndex: index,
-		Height:         commit.HeightNum,
-		Round:          commit.RoundNum,
-		Timestamp:      commit.Precommits[index].Timestamp,
-		Type:           VoteTypePrecommit,
-		BlockID:        commit.BlockID,
-		Signature:      commit.Precommits[index].Signature,
-	}
+	return commit.Precommits[index].ToVote(index, commit.Height(), commit.Round(), commit.BlockID)
 }
 
 // IsCommit returns true if there is at least one vote
diff --git a/types/validator_set_test.go b/types/validator_set_test.go
index 39967fc83..b00e4048f 100644
--- a/types/validator_set_test.go
+++ b/types/validator_set_test.go
@@ -392,15 +392,10 @@ func TestValidatorSetVerifyCommit(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.NoError(t, err)
 	vote.Signature = sig
 	commit := &Commit{
-		BlockID: blockID,
-		Precommits: []*CommitSig{
-			&CommitSig{
-				Signature: sig,
-				Timestamp: vote.Timestamp,
-			},
-		},
-		HeightNum: height,
-		RoundNum:  0,
+		BlockID:    blockID,
+		Precommits: []*CommitSig{NewCommitSig(sig, vote.Timestamp)},
+		HeightNum:  height,
+		RoundNum:   0,
 	}
 
 	badChainID := "notmychainID"
diff --git a/types/vote.go b/types/vote.go
index 9a6180d75..6fc7e91bd 100644
--- a/types/vote.go
+++ b/types/vote.go
@@ -116,3 +116,7 @@ func (vote *Vote) Verify(chainID string, pubKey crypto.PubKey) error {
 	}
 	return nil
 }
+
+func (vote *Vote) ToCommitSig() *CommitSig {
+	return NewCommitSig(vote.Signature, vote.Timestamp)
+}
diff --git a/types/vote_set.go b/types/vote_set.go
index 00a1f25c3..592052060 100644
--- a/types/vote_set.go
+++ b/types/vote_set.go
@@ -547,18 +547,10 @@ func (voteSet *VoteSet) MakeCommit() *Commit {
 	precommits := make([]*CommitSig, len(voteSet.votes))
 	for i, v := range votesCopy {
 		if v != nil && v.BlockID.Equals(blockID) {
-			precommits[i] = &CommitSig{
-				Signature: v.Signature,
-				Timestamp: v.Timestamp,
-			}
+			precommits[i] = v.ToCommitSig()
 		}
 	}
-	return &Commit{
-		BlockID:    blockID,
-		Precommits: precommits,
-		RoundNum:   voteSet.round,
-		HeightNum:  voteSet.height,
-	}
+	return NewCommit(voteSet.height, voteSet.round, blockID, precommits)
 }
 
 //--------------------------------------------------------------------------------