diff --git a/x/upgrade/integration_test.go b/x/upgrade/integration_test.go
index 1f61b9db69..1ef940e5f5 100644
--- a/x/upgrade/integration_test.go
+++ b/x/upgrade/integration_test.go
@@ -14,6 +14,9 @@ import (
 	tmversion "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/proto/tendermint/version"
 )
 
+// TestUpgradeIntegration uses the real application including the upgrade keeper (and staking keeper). It
+// simulates an upgrade scenario with a single validator which signals for the version change, checks the quorum
+// has been reached and then calls TryUpgrade, asserting that the upgrade module returns the new app version
 func TestUpgradeIntegration(t *testing.T) {
 	app, _ := testutil.SetupTestAppWithGenesisValSet(app.DefaultConsensusParams())
 	ctx := sdk.NewContext(app.CommitMultiStore(), tmtypes.Header{
diff --git a/x/upgrade/tally_test.go b/x/upgrade/tally_test.go
index 474c4c2fbc..c172180bd2 100644
--- a/x/upgrade/tally_test.go
+++ b/x/upgrade/tally_test.go
@@ -139,6 +139,7 @@ func TestTallyingLogic(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// remove one of the validators from the set
 	delete(mockStakingKeeper.validators, testutil.ValAddrs[1].String())
+	// the validator had 1 voting power, so we deduct it from the total
 	mockStakingKeeper.totalVotingPower--
 
 	res, err = upgradeKeeper.VersionTally(goCtx, &types.QueryVersionTallyRequest{
@@ -176,6 +177,7 @@ func TestEmptyStore(t *testing.T) {
 	})
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 	require.EqualValues(t, 0, res.VotingPower)
+	// 120 is the summation in voting power of the four validators
 	require.EqualValues(t, 120, res.TotalVotingPower)
 }
 
@@ -191,15 +193,14 @@ func setup(t *testing.T) (upgrade.Keeper, sdk.Context, *mockStakingKeeper) {
 			App:   1,
 		},
 	}, false, log.NewNopLogger())
-	mockStakingKeeper := &mockStakingKeeper{
-		totalVotingPower: 120,
-		validators: map[string]int64{
+	mockStakingKeeper := newMockStakingKeeper(
+		map[string]int64{
 			testutil.ValAddrs[0].String(): 40,
 			testutil.ValAddrs[1].String(): 1,
 			testutil.ValAddrs[2].String(): 60,
 			testutil.ValAddrs[3].String(): 19,
 		},
-	}
+	)
 
 	upgradeKeeper := upgrade.NewKeeper(upgradeStore, 0, mockStakingKeeper)
 	return upgradeKeeper, mockCtx, mockStakingKeeper
@@ -212,6 +213,17 @@ type mockStakingKeeper struct {
 	validators       map[string]int64
 }
 
+func newMockStakingKeeper(validators map[string]int64) *mockStakingKeeper {
+	totalVotingPower := int64(0)
+	for _, power := range validators {
+		totalVotingPower += power
+	}
+	return &mockStakingKeeper{
+		totalVotingPower: totalVotingPower,
+		validators:       validators,
+	}
+}
+
 func (m *mockStakingKeeper) GetLastTotalPower(_ sdk.Context) math.Int {
 	return math.NewInt(m.totalVotingPower)
 }