On May 24, 2022, Governor John Carney (D) vetoed HB 371, which would have legalized possession of up to 1 oz. of cannabis for adults in Delaware. On June 7, 2022 the Delaware House of Representatives voted against overriding the governor’s veto in a 20-20 vote, with one not voting. The veto override needed 25 votes to succeed.
Although the bill originally passed the House 26-14, four Democrats – Majority Leader Valerie Longhurst, Sean Matthews, Bill Carson and Andria Bennett — and Republicans Mike Ramone and Jeffrey Spiegelman changed their votes from “yes” to “no” or not voting on the veto override. Representatives Franklin Cooke (D) and Larry Mitchell (D), who also voted “yes” on HB 371 in May, initially cast their override votes as “not voting” but also changed their votes to “yes” at the last minute when it was evident the override would fail.