diff --git a/pkg/ccl/kvccl/kvfollowerreadsccl/followerreads_test.go b/pkg/ccl/kvccl/kvfollowerreadsccl/followerreads_test.go
index 0ee1190a5eaf..5a0203e1f8b6 100644
--- a/pkg/ccl/kvccl/kvfollowerreadsccl/followerreads_test.go
+++ b/pkg/ccl/kvccl/kvfollowerreadsccl/followerreads_test.go
@@ -540,8 +540,7 @@ func TestFollowerReadsWithStaleDescriptor(t *testing.T) {
 	n1 := sqlutils.MakeSQLRunner(tc.Conns[0])
 	n1.Exec(t, `CREATE DATABASE t`)
 	n1.Exec(t, `CREATE TABLE test (k INT PRIMARY KEY)`)
-	n1.Exec(t, `ALTER TABLE test EXPERIMENTAL_RELOCATE VOTERS VALUES (ARRAY[1], 1)`)
-	n1.Exec(t, `ALTER TABLE test EXPERIMENTAL_RELOCATE NON_VOTERS VALUES (ARRAY[2], 1)`)
+	n1.Exec(t, `ALTER TABLE test EXPERIMENTAL_RELOCATE VOTERS VALUES (ARRAY[1,2], 1)`)
 	// Speed up closing of timestamps, as we'll in order to be able to use
 	// follower_read_timestamp().
 	// Every 0.2s we'll close the timestamp from 0.4s ago. We'll attempt follower reads
@@ -571,12 +570,31 @@ func TestFollowerReadsWithStaleDescriptor(t *testing.T) {
 	require.Equal(t, roachpb.StoreID(1), entry.Lease().Replica.StoreID)
 	require.Equal(t, []roachpb.ReplicaDescriptor{
 		{NodeID: 1, StoreID: 1, ReplicaID: 1},
-		{NodeID: 2, StoreID: 2, ReplicaID: 2, Type: roachpb.ReplicaTypeNonVoter()},
+		{NodeID: 2, StoreID: 2, ReplicaID: 2},
 	}, entry.Desc().Replicas().Descriptors())
 
-	// Relocate the follower. n2 will no longer have a replica.
-	n1.Exec(t, `ALTER TABLE test EXPERIMENTAL_RELOCATE VOTERS VALUES (ARRAY[1,3], 1)`)
-	n1.Exec(t, `ALTER TABLE test EXPERIMENTAL_RELOCATE NON_VOTERS VALUES (ARRAY[], 1)`)
+	// Remove the follower and add a new non-voter to n3. n2 will no longer have a
+	// replica.
+	n1.Exec(t, `ALTER TABLE test EXPERIMENTAL_RELOCATE VOTERS VALUES (ARRAY[1], 1)`)
+	n1.Exec(t, `ALTER TABLE test EXPERIMENTAL_RELOCATE NON_VOTERS VALUES (ARRAY[3], 1)`)
+
+	// Wait until the new non-voter is upreplicated to n3.
+	testutils.SucceedsSoon(
+		t, func() error {
+			return tc.Server(2).GetStores().(*kvserver.Stores).VisitStores(
+				func(s *kvserver.Store) error {
+					repl := s.LookupReplica(tablePrefix)
+					if repl == nil {
+						return errors.Errorf("no replica found on store %s", s)
+					}
+					if !repl.IsInitialized() {
+						return errors.Errorf("non-voter not initialized")
+					}
+					return nil
+				},
+			)
+		},
+	)
 
 	// Execute the query again and assert the cache is updated. This query will
 	// not be executed as a follower read since it attempts to use n2 which
@@ -585,7 +603,7 @@ func TestFollowerReadsWithStaleDescriptor(t *testing.T) {
 	n4.Exec(t, historicalQuery)
 	// As a sanity check, verify that this was not a follower read.
 	rec := <-recCh
-	require.False(t, kv.OnlyFollowerReads(rec), "query was not served through follower reads: %s", rec)
+	require.False(t, kv.OnlyFollowerReads(rec), "query was served through follower reads: %s", rec)
 	// Check that the cache was properly updated.
 	entry = n4Cache.GetCached(ctx, tablePrefix, false /* inverted */)
 	require.NotNil(t, entry)
@@ -593,7 +611,7 @@ func TestFollowerReadsWithStaleDescriptor(t *testing.T) {
 	require.Equal(t, roachpb.StoreID(1), entry.Lease().Replica.StoreID)
 	require.Equal(t, []roachpb.ReplicaDescriptor{
 		{NodeID: 1, StoreID: 1, ReplicaID: 1},
-		{NodeID: 3, StoreID: 3, ReplicaID: 3},
+		{NodeID: 3, StoreID: 3, ReplicaID: 3, Type: roachpb.ReplicaTypeNonVoter()},
 	}, entry.Desc().Replicas().Descriptors())
 
 	// Make a note of the follower reads metric on n3. We'll check that it was