diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/notes.js b/app/assets/javascripts/notes.js
index e1ad1d2f9e8c04d941863efa5854ae59c1be6cba..558643d504db3710cd5a13706bfcfe2ba5101120 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/notes.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/notes.js
@@ -230,7 +230,7 @@ var NoteList = {
   updateVotes:
     function() {
       var votes = $("#votes .votes");
-      var notes = $("#notes-list, #new-notes-list").find(".note.vote");
+      var notes = $("#notes-list, #new-notes-list").find(".note .vote");
 
       // only update if there is a vote display
       if (votes.size()) {
diff --git a/app/helpers/notes_helper.rb b/app/helpers/notes_helper.rb
index 3e875023c53e747eda87c0b2c6da31a83ca88175..ba02ca6bd499ea026c2e89263c6dcda5bc134cbf 100644
--- a/app/helpers/notes_helper.rb
+++ b/app/helpers/notes_helper.rb
@@ -12,11 +12,5 @@ module NotesHelper
     !@mixed_targets || @main_target_type == note.noteable_type
   end
 
-  def note_vote_class(note)
-    if note.upvote?
-      "vote upvote"
-    elsif note.downvote?
-      "vote downvote"
-    end
   end
 end
diff --git a/app/views/notes/_note.html.haml b/app/views/notes/_note.html.haml
index 5234e55dcd098754717f22ded7e2a8f5e38bf5cd..57946163b567f26374ba430bdfdabf5b01b572e8 100644
--- a/app/views/notes/_note.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/notes/_note.html.haml
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-%li{id: dom_id(note), class: "note #{note_vote_class(note)}"}
+%li{id: dom_id(note), class: "note"}
   = image_tag gravatar_icon(note.author.email), class: "avatar s32"
   %div.note-author
     %strong= note.author_name
@@ -6,14 +6,19 @@
       %cite.cgray
         = time_ago_in_words(note.updated_at)
         ago
-    - if note.upvote?
-      %span.label.label-success
-        %i.icon-thumbs-up
-        \+1
-    - if note.downvote?
-      %span.label.label-error
-        %i.icon-thumbs-down
-        \-1
+
+    -# only show vote if it's a note for the main target
+    - if note_for_main_target?(note)
+      - if note.upvote?
+        %span.vote.upvote.label.label-success
+          %i.icon-thumbs-up
+          \+1
+      - if note.downvote?
+        %span.vote.downvote.label.label-error
+          %i.icon-thumbs-down
+          \-1
+
+    -# remove button
     - if(note.author_id == current_user.id) || can?(current_user, :admin_note, @project)
       = link_to [@project, note], confirm: 'Are you sure?', method: :delete, remote: true, class: "cred delete-note btn very_small" do
         %i.icon-trash