diff --git a/raft/backend.go b/raft/backend.go
index a9e328fa1..dc3bd0bac 100644
--- a/raft/backend.go
+++ b/raft/backend.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package raft
 import (
 	"sync"
 	"time"
+	"crypto/ecdsa"
 
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/accounts"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core"
@@ -32,6 +33,7 @@ type RaftService struct {
 	// we need an event mux to instantiate the blockchain
 	eventMux *event.TypeMux
 	minter   *minter
+	nodeKey  *ecdsa.PrivateKey
 }
 
 func New(ctx *node.ServiceContext, chainConfig *params.ChainConfig, raftId, raftPort uint16, joinExisting bool, blockTime time.Duration, e *eth.Ethereum, startPeers []*discover.Node, datadir string) (*RaftService, error) {
@@ -43,6 +45,7 @@ func New(ctx *node.ServiceContext, chainConfig *params.ChainConfig, raftId, raft
 		accountManager: e.AccountManager(),
 		downloader:     e.Downloader(),
 		startPeers:     startPeers,
+		nodeKey:        ctx.NodeKey(),
 	}
 
 	service.minter = newMinter(chainConfig, service, blockTime)
diff --git a/raft/minter.go b/raft/minter.go
index 5ece9e389..7bb7c2b2a 100644
--- a/raft/minter.go
+++ b/raft/minter.go
@@ -25,16 +25,22 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/eapache/channels"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common/hexutil"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/consensus/ethash"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core/state"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core/types"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core/vm"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/crypto"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/ethdb"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/event"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/log"
-	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/miner"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/params"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/rlp"
+)
+
+var (
+	extraVanity = 32 // Fixed number of extra-data prefix bytes reserved for arbitrary signer vanity
 )
 
 // Current state information for building the next block
@@ -50,7 +56,7 @@ type minter struct {
 	config           *params.ChainConfig
 	mu               sync.Mutex
 	mux              *event.TypeMux
-	eth              miner.Backend
+	eth              *RaftService
 	chain            *core.BlockChain
 	chainDb          ethdb.Database
 	coinbase         common.Address
@@ -66,6 +72,11 @@ type minter struct {
 	txPreSub                event.Subscription
 }
 
+type extraSeal struct {
+	RaftId    []byte // RaftID of the block minter
+	Signature []byte // Signature of the block minter
+}
+
 func newMinter(config *params.ChainConfig, eth *RaftService, blockTime time.Duration) *minter {
 	minter := &minter{
 		config:           config,
@@ -318,8 +329,6 @@ func (minter *minter) mintNewBlock() {
 	ethash.AccumulateRewards(minter.chain.Config(), work.publicState, header, nil)
 	header.Root = work.publicState.IntermediateRoot(minter.chain.Config().IsEIP158(work.header.Number))
 
-	// NOTE: < QuorumChain creates a signature here and puts it in header.Extra. >
-
 	allReceipts := append(publicReceipts, privateReceipts...)
 	header.Bloom = types.CreateBloom(allReceipts)
 
@@ -330,6 +339,14 @@ func (minter *minter) mintNewBlock() {
 		l.BlockHash = headerHash
 	}
 
+	//Sign the block and build the extraSeal struct
+	extraSealBytes := minter.buildExtraSeal(headerHash)
+
+	// add vanity and seal to header
+	// NOTE: leaving vanity blank for now as a space for any future data
+	header.Extra = make([]byte, extraVanity+len(extraSealBytes))
+	copy(header.Extra[extraVanity:], extraSealBytes)
+
 	block := types.NewBlock(header, committedTxes, nil, publicReceipts)
 
 	log.Info("Generated next block", "block num", block.Number(), "num txes", txCount)
@@ -407,3 +424,29 @@ func (env *work) commitTransaction(tx *types.Transaction, bc *core.BlockChain, g
 
 	return publicReceipt, privateReceipt, nil
 }
+
+func (minter *minter) buildExtraSeal(headerHash common.Hash) []byte {
+	//Sign the headerHash
+	nodeKey := minter.eth.nodeKey
+	sig, err := crypto.Sign(headerHash.Bytes(), nodeKey)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Warn("Block sealing failed", "err", err)
+	}
+
+	//build the extraSeal struct
+	raftIdString := hexutil.EncodeUint64(uint64(minter.eth.raftProtocolManager.raftId))
+
+	var extra extraSeal
+	extra = extraSeal{
+		RaftId:    []byte(raftIdString[2:]), //remove the 0x prefix
+		Signature: sig,
+	}
+
+	//encode to byte array for storage
+	extraDataBytes, err := rlp.EncodeToBytes(extra)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Warn("Header.Extra Data Encoding failed", "err", err)
+	}
+
+	return extraDataBytes
+}
diff --git a/raft/minter_test.go b/raft/minter_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..dd60d4746
--- /dev/null
+++ b/raft/minter_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+package raft
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+	"math/big"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/crypto"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core/types"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/node"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/rlp"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common/hexutil"
+)
+
+func TestSignHeader(t *testing.T){
+	//create only what we need to test the seal
+	var testRaftId uint16 = 5
+	config := &node.Config{Name: "unit-test", DataDir: ""}
+
+	nodeKey := config.NodeKey()
+
+	raftProtocolManager := &ProtocolManager{raftId:testRaftId}
+	raftService := &RaftService{nodeKey: nodeKey, raftProtocolManager: raftProtocolManager}
+	minter := minter{eth: raftService,}
+
+	//create some fake header to sign
+	fakeParentHash := common.HexToHash("0xc2c1dc1be8054808c69e06137429899d")
+
+	header := &types.Header{
+		ParentHash: fakeParentHash,
+		Number:     big.NewInt(1),
+		Difficulty: big.NewInt(1),
+		GasLimit:   new(big.Int),
+		GasUsed:    new(big.Int),
+		Coinbase:   minter.coinbase,
+		Time:       big.NewInt(time.Now().UnixNano()),
+	}
+
+	headerHash := header.Hash()
+	extraDataBytes := minter.buildExtraSeal(headerHash)
+	var seal *extraSeal
+	err := rlp.DecodeBytes(extraDataBytes[:], &seal)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Unable to decode seal: %s", err.Error())
+	}
+
+	// Check raftId
+	sealRaftId, err := hexutil.DecodeUint64("0x"+ string(seal.RaftId)) //add the 0x prefix
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("Unable to get RaftId: %s", err.Error())
+	}
+	if  sealRaftId != uint64(testRaftId) {
+		t.Errorf("RaftID does not match. Expected: %d, Actual: %d", testRaftId, sealRaftId)
+	}
+
+	//Identify who signed it
+	sig:= seal.Signature
+	pubKey, err := crypto.SigToPub(headerHash.Bytes(), sig)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Unable to get public key from signature: %s", err.Error())
+	}
+
+	//Compare derived public key to original public key
+	if pubKey.X.Cmp(nodeKey.X) != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("Signature incorrect!")
+	}
+
+}