Six members of the Delaware State House flipped their vote, dooming an attempt at an override of Governor Carney’s veto of a marijuana legalization bill.

HB371, which legalized possession of marijuana, passed the House 26-14 (1 absent) on May 5, but after Governor Carney vetoed the legislation on May 24, it returned to the house. 

The 26 yes votes would have been enough to override the veto, but 6 legislators who voted yes initially changed their voting stances this time around.

Reps. Andria Bennett (D-Dover), William Carson (D-Smyrna), Sean Matthews (D-North Wilmington), Mike Ramone (R-Milltown), and Jeffrey Spiegelman (R-Marydel) all went from “yes” to “no” in the second vote.

House Majority Leader Valerie Longhurst (D-Bear) voted yes in May, but chose not to vote despite being in the chamber.

Bill sponsor Ed Osienski (D-Newark/Brookside) said that 61% of Delawareans support legalizing marijuana, despite the governor’s pre-election stance against it.

“The governor has made it clear he wishes us to wait until 2025, but the majority of Delawareans don’t agree.”

Osienski added that 21 states plus the District of Columbia have passed forms of marijuana legalization, and that none of those laws been repealed.

“Nobody has come back and said we need to repeal this. They have learned a way to work out the problems, and I know Delaware is capable of…