diff --git a/x/stake/genesis.go b/x/stake/genesis.go
index 45754f34309d..fa81cc03bc6f 100644
--- a/x/stake/genesis.go
+++ b/x/stake/genesis.go
@@ -34,10 +34,6 @@ func InitGenesis(ctx sdk.Context, keeper Keeper, data types.GenesisState) (res [
 		// Manually set indexes for the first time
 		keeper.SetValidatorByConsAddr(ctx, validator)
 		keeper.SetValidatorByPowerIndex(ctx, validator, data.Pool)
-
-		if validator.Status == sdk.Bonded {
-			keeper.SetValidatorBondedIndex(ctx, validator)
-		}
 	}
 
 	for _, bond := range data.Bonds {
diff --git a/x/stake/keeper/key.go b/x/stake/keeper/key.go
index f6e38a23071a..c6b3b6b55082 100644
--- a/x/stake/keeper/key.go
+++ b/x/stake/keeper/key.go
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@ var (
 	RedelegationKey                  = []byte{0x0A} // key for a redelegation
 	RedelegationByValSrcIndexKey     = []byte{0x0B} // prefix for each key for an redelegation, by source validator operator
 	RedelegationByValDstIndexKey     = []byte{0x0C} // prefix for each key for an redelegation, by destination validator operator
-	BondedValidatorsIndexKey         = []byte{0x0D} // prefix for each key to the bonded validator set
 )
 
 const maxDigitsForAccount = 12 // ~220,000,000 atoms created at launch
@@ -42,12 +41,6 @@ func GetValidatorByConsAddrKey(addr sdk.ConsAddress) []byte {
 	return append(ValidatorsByConsAddrKey, addr.Bytes()...)
 }
 
-// gets the key for the current validator group
-// VALUE: none (key rearrangement with GetValKeyFromValBondedIndexKey)
-func GetValidatorsBondedIndexKey(operatorAddr sdk.ValAddress) []byte {
-	return append(ValidatorsBondedIndexKey, operatorAddr.Bytes()...)
-}
-
 // Get the validator operator address from ValBondedIndexKey
 func GetAddressFromValBondedIndexKey(IndexKey []byte) []byte {
 	return IndexKey[1:] // remove prefix bytes
@@ -64,7 +57,7 @@ func GetBondedValidatorsByPowerIndexKey(validator types.Validator, pool types.Po
 
 // get the bonded validator index key for an operator address
 func GetBondedValidatorIndexKey(operator sdk.ValAddress) []byte {
-	return append(BondedValidatorsIndexKey, operator...)
+	return append(ValidatorsBondedIndexKey, operator...)
 }
 
 // get the power ranking of a validator
diff --git a/x/stake/keeper/val_state_change.go b/x/stake/keeper/val_state_change.go
index 06782634f062..0fbc729787de 100644
--- a/x/stake/keeper/val_state_change.go
+++ b/x/stake/keeper/val_state_change.go
@@ -162,7 +162,6 @@ func (k Keeper) UnjailValidator(ctx sdk.Context, validator types.Validator) {
 // perform all the store operations for when a validator status becomes bonded
 func (k Keeper) bondValidator(ctx sdk.Context, validator types.Validator) types.Validator {
 
-	store := ctx.KVStore(k.storeKey)
 	pool := k.GetPool(ctx)
 
 	k.DeleteValidatorByPowerIndex(ctx, validator, pool)
@@ -175,7 +174,6 @@ func (k Keeper) bondValidator(ctx sdk.Context, validator types.Validator) types.
 
 	// save the now bonded validator record to the three referenced stores
 	k.SetValidator(ctx, validator)
-	store.Set(GetValidatorsBondedIndexKey(validator.OperatorAddr), []byte{})
 
 	k.SetValidatorByPowerIndex(ctx, validator, pool)
 
@@ -190,7 +188,6 @@ func (k Keeper) bondValidator(ctx sdk.Context, validator types.Validator) types.
 // perform all the store operations for when a validator status begins unbonding
 func (k Keeper) beginUnbondingValidator(ctx sdk.Context, validator types.Validator) types.Validator {
 
-	store := ctx.KVStore(k.storeKey)
 	pool := k.GetPool(ctx)
 	params := k.GetParams(ctx)
 
@@ -211,9 +208,6 @@ func (k Keeper) beginUnbondingValidator(ctx sdk.Context, validator types.Validat
 	// save the now unbonded validator record
 	k.SetValidator(ctx, validator)
 
-	// also remove from the Bonded types.Validators Store
-	store.Delete(GetValidatorsBondedIndexKey(validator.OperatorAddr))
-
 	k.SetValidatorByPowerIndex(ctx, validator, pool)
 
 	// call the unbond hook if present
@@ -237,7 +231,7 @@ func (k Keeper) completeUnbondingValidator(ctx sdk.Context, validator types.Vali
 func (k Keeper) retrieveLastValidatorSet(ctx sdk.Context) map[[sdk.AddrLen]byte][]byte {
 	last := make(map[[sdk.AddrLen]byte][]byte)
 	store := ctx.KVStore(k.storeKey)
-	iterator := sdk.KVStorePrefixIterator(store, BondedValidatorsIndexKey)
+	iterator := sdk.KVStorePrefixIterator(store, ValidatorsBondedIndexKey)
 	for ; iterator.Valid(); iterator.Next() {
 		var operator [sdk.AddrLen]byte
 		copy(operator[:], iterator.Key()[1:])
diff --git a/x/stake/keeper/validator.go b/x/stake/keeper/validator.go
index 0b78f2cbf2ec..705c33b7ed7e 100644
--- a/x/stake/keeper/validator.go
+++ b/x/stake/keeper/validator.go
@@ -119,12 +119,6 @@ func (k Keeper) SetNewValidatorByPowerIndex(ctx sdk.Context, validator types.Val
 	store.Set(GetBondedValidatorsByPowerIndexKey(validator, pool), validator.OperatorAddr)
 }
 
-// validator index
-func (k Keeper) SetValidatorBondedIndex(ctx sdk.Context, validator types.Validator) {
-	store := ctx.KVStore(k.storeKey)
-	store.Set(GetValidatorsBondedIndexKey(validator.OperatorAddr), []byte{})
-}
-
 //___________________________________________________________________________
 
 // Update the tokens of an existing validator, update the validators power index key
@@ -201,12 +195,6 @@ func (k Keeper) RemoveValidator(ctx sdk.Context, address sdk.ValAddress) {
 	store.Delete(GetValidatorByConsAddrKey(sdk.ConsAddress(validator.ConsPubKey.Address())))
 	store.Delete(GetBondedValidatorsByPowerIndexKey(validator, pool))
 
-	// delete from the current and power weighted validator groups if the validator
-	// is bonded - and add validator with zero power to the validator updates
-	if store.Get(GetValidatorsBondedIndexKey(validator.OperatorAddr)) == nil {
-		return
-	}
-	store.Delete(GetValidatorsBondedIndexKey(validator.OperatorAddr))
 }
 
 //___________________________________________________________________________
diff --git a/x/stake/stake.go b/x/stake/stake.go
index 817f73ca311d..b7ed8be4d027 100644
--- a/x/stake/stake.go
+++ b/x/stake/stake.go
@@ -37,7 +37,6 @@ var (
 
 	GetValidatorKey                    = keeper.GetValidatorKey
 	GetValidatorByConsAddrKey          = keeper.GetValidatorByConsAddrKey
-	GetValidatorsBondedIndexKey        = keeper.GetValidatorsBondedIndexKey
 	GetBondedValidatorsByPowerIndexKey = keeper.GetBondedValidatorsByPowerIndexKey
 	GetDelegationKey                   = keeper.GetDelegationKey
 	GetDelegationsKey                  = keeper.GetDelegationsKey