diff --git a/internal/consensus/reactor.go b/internal/consensus/reactor.go
index 3020e6e16..18589c93a 100644
--- a/internal/consensus/reactor.go
+++ b/internal/consensus/reactor.go
@@ -211,7 +211,6 @@ func (r *Reactor) OnStart(ctx context.Context) error {
 	go r.peerStatsRoutine(ctx, peerUpdates)
 
 	r.subscribeToBroadcastEvents(chBundle.state)
-	go r.updateRoundStateRoutine()
 
 	if !r.WaitSync() {
 		if err := r.state.Start(ctx); err != nil {
@@ -219,6 +218,8 @@ func (r *Reactor) OnStart(ctx context.Context) error {
 		}
 	}
 
+	go r.updateRoundStateRoutine(ctx)
+
 	go r.processStateCh(ctx, chBundle)
 	go r.processDataCh(ctx, chBundle)
 	go r.processVoteCh(ctx, chBundle)
@@ -260,6 +261,15 @@ func (r *Reactor) SwitchToConsensus(ctx context.Context, state sm.State, skipWAL
 	// NOTE: The line below causes broadcastNewRoundStepRoutine() to broadcast a
 	// NewRoundStepMessage.
 	r.state.updateToState(ctx, state)
+	if err := r.state.Start(ctx); err != nil {
+		panic(fmt.Sprintf(`failed to start consensus state: %v
+
+conS:
+%+v
+
+conR:
+%+v`, err, r.state, r))
+	}
 
 	r.mtx.Lock()
 	r.waitSync = false
@@ -273,16 +283,6 @@ func (r *Reactor) SwitchToConsensus(ctx context.Context, state sm.State, skipWAL
 		r.state.doWALCatchup = false
 	}
 
-	if err := r.state.Start(ctx); err != nil {
-		panic(fmt.Sprintf(`failed to start consensus state: %v
-
-conS:
-%+v
-
-conR:
-%+v`, err, r.state, r))
-	}
-
 	d := types.EventDataBlockSyncStatus{Complete: true, Height: state.LastBlockHeight}
 	if err := r.eventBus.PublishEventBlockSyncStatus(ctx, d); err != nil {
 		r.logger.Error("failed to emit the blocksync complete event", "err", err)
@@ -408,17 +408,20 @@ func (r *Reactor) sendNewRoundStepMessage(ctx context.Context, peerID types.Node
 	})
 }
 
-func (r *Reactor) updateRoundStateRoutine() {
+func (r *Reactor) updateRoundStateRoutine(ctx context.Context) {
 	t := time.NewTicker(100 * time.Microsecond)
 	defer t.Stop()
-	for range t.C {
-		if !r.IsRunning() {
+
+	for {
+		select {
+		case <-ctx.Done():
 			return
+		case <-t.C:
+			rs := r.state.GetRoundState()
+			r.mtx.Lock()
+			r.rs = rs
+			r.mtx.Unlock()
 		}
-		rs := r.state.GetRoundState()
-		r.mtx.Lock()
-		r.rs = rs
-		r.mtx.Unlock()
 	}
 }
 
@@ -839,16 +842,6 @@ func (r *Reactor) queryMaj23Routine(ctx context.Context, ps *PeerState, stateCh
 		// TODO create more reliable copies of these
 		// structures so the following go routines don't race
 		rs := r.getRoundState()
-		if rs.Votes == nil {
-			// if we have gotten here, we've connected to
-			// a peer before the state of the reactor has
-			// updated to the current round, so we should
-			// sleep for a while before we attempt to
-			// start gossiping the data that doesn't exist
-			// yet. This prevents a panic.
-			timer.Reset(r.state.config.PeerQueryMaj23SleepDuration)
-			continue
-		}
 		prs := ps.GetRoundState()
 
 		wg := &sync.WaitGroup{}