diff --git a/cmd/tendermint/commands/show_validator.go b/cmd/tendermint/commands/show_validator.go
index ad12dbb11..8210aedfd 100644
--- a/cmd/tendermint/commands/show_validator.go
+++ b/cmd/tendermint/commands/show_validator.go
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@ func showValidator(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) {
 	// TODO(ismail): add a flag and check if we actually want to see the pub key
 	//  of the remote signer instead of the FilePV
 	privValidator := privval.LoadOrGenFilePV(config.PrivValidatorFile())
-	key := privValidator.GetPubKey()
-	pubKeyJSONBytes, _ := cdc.MarshalJSON(key)
+	pubKeyJSONBytes, _ := cdc.MarshalJSON(privValidator.GetPubKey())
 	fmt.Println(string(pubKeyJSONBytes))
 }
diff --git a/consensus/reactor_test.go b/consensus/reactor_test.go
index a35a3d9ff..5334895f4 100644
--- a/consensus/reactor_test.go
+++ b/consensus/reactor_test.go
@@ -281,9 +281,7 @@ func TestReactorVotingPowerChange(t *testing.T) {
 	//---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 	logger.Debug("---------------------------- Testing changing the voting power of one validator a few times")
 
-	pubKey := css[0].privValidator.GetPubKey()
-
-	val1PubKey := pubKey
+	val1PubKey := css[0].privValidator.GetPubKey()
 	val1PubKeyABCI := types.TM2PB.PubKey(val1PubKey)
 	updateValidatorTx := kvstore.MakeValSetChangeTx(val1PubKeyABCI, 25)
 	previousTotalVotingPower := css[0].GetRoundState().LastValidators.TotalVotingPower()
@@ -347,8 +345,7 @@ func TestReactorValidatorSetChanges(t *testing.T) {
 	//---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 	logger.Info("---------------------------- Testing adding one validator")
 
-	pubKey := css[nVals].privValidator.GetPubKey()
-	newValidatorPubKey1 := pubKey
+	newValidatorPubKey1 := css[nVals].privValidator.GetPubKey()
 	valPubKey1ABCI := types.TM2PB.PubKey(newValidatorPubKey1)
 	newValidatorTx1 := kvstore.MakeValSetChangeTx(valPubKey1ABCI, testMinPower)
 
@@ -375,8 +372,7 @@ func TestReactorValidatorSetChanges(t *testing.T) {
 	//---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 	logger.Info("---------------------------- Testing changing the voting power of one validator")
 
-	pubKey = css[nVals].privValidator.GetPubKey()
-	updateValidatorPubKey1 := pubKey
+	updateValidatorPubKey1 := css[nVals].privValidator.GetPubKey()
 	updatePubKey1ABCI := types.TM2PB.PubKey(updateValidatorPubKey1)
 	updateValidatorTx1 := kvstore.MakeValSetChangeTx(updatePubKey1ABCI, 25)
 	previousTotalVotingPower := css[nVals].GetRoundState().LastValidators.TotalVotingPower()
@@ -393,13 +389,11 @@ func TestReactorValidatorSetChanges(t *testing.T) {
 	//---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 	logger.Info("---------------------------- Testing adding two validators at once")
 
-	pubKey = css[nVals+1].privValidator.GetPubKey()
-	newValidatorPubKey2 := pubKey
+	newValidatorPubKey2 := css[nVals+1].privValidator.GetPubKey()
 	newVal2ABCI := types.TM2PB.PubKey(newValidatorPubKey2)
 	newValidatorTx2 := kvstore.MakeValSetChangeTx(newVal2ABCI, testMinPower)
 
-	pubKey = css[nVals+2].privValidator.GetPubKey()
-	newValidatorPubKey3 := pubKey
+	newValidatorPubKey3 := css[nVals+2].privValidator.GetPubKey()
 	newVal3ABCI := types.TM2PB.PubKey(newValidatorPubKey3)
 	newValidatorTx3 := kvstore.MakeValSetChangeTx(newVal3ABCI, testMinPower)
 
diff --git a/consensus/replay_test.go b/consensus/replay_test.go
index 540e4a58c..5d42bdc8e 100644
--- a/consensus/replay_test.go
+++ b/consensus/replay_test.go
@@ -332,7 +332,6 @@ func testHandshakeReplay(t *testing.T, nBlocks int, mode uint) {
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 
 	pubKey := privVal.GetPubKey()
-	require.NoError(t, err)
 	stateDB, state, store := stateAndStore(config, pubKey, kvstore.ProtocolVersion)
 	store.chain = chain
 	store.commits = commits
diff --git a/consensus/state.go b/consensus/state.go
index 30122b7d8..1693e36b5 100644
--- a/consensus/state.go
+++ b/consensus/state.go
@@ -1678,8 +1678,7 @@ func (cs *ConsensusState) voteTime() time.Time {
 // sign the vote and publish on internalMsgQueue
 func (cs *ConsensusState) signAddVote(type_ types.SignedMsgType, hash []byte, header types.PartSetHeader) *types.Vote {
 	// if we don't have a key or we're not in the validator set, do nothing
-	privValAddr := cs.privValidator.GetPubKey().Address()
-	if cs.privValidator == nil || !cs.Validators.HasAddress(privValAddr) {
+	if cs.privValidator == nil || !cs.Validators.HasAddress(cs.privValidator.GetPubKey().Address()) {
 		return nil
 	}
 	vote, err := cs.signVote(type_, hash, header)