diff --git a/qa/suites/upgrade/kraken-x/stress-split/0-cluster/start.yaml b/qa/suites/upgrade/kraken-x/stress-split/0-cluster/start.yaml
index dbb03ec826e..b8a28f986ac 100644
--- a/qa/suites/upgrade/kraken-x/stress-split/0-cluster/start.yaml
+++ b/qa/suites/upgrade/kraken-x/stress-split/0-cluster/start.yaml
@@ -6,6 +6,10 @@ meta:
 overrides:
   ceph:
     fs: xfs
+    log-whitelist:
+      - overall HEALTH_
+      - \(MON_DOWN\)
+      - \(MGR_DOWN\)
     conf:
       global:
         enable experimental unrecoverable data corrupting features: "*"
diff --git a/src/mon/Elector.cc b/src/mon/Elector.cc
index 001fea95f3d..b7fde85528d 100644
--- a/src/mon/Elector.cc
+++ b/src/mon/Elector.cc
@@ -35,9 +35,19 @@ static ostream& _prefix(std::ostream *_dout, Monitor *mon, epoch_t epoch) {
 void Elector::init()
 {
   epoch = mon->store->get(Monitor::MONITOR_NAME, "election_epoch");
-  if (!epoch)
+  if (!epoch) {
+    dout(1) << "init, first boot, initializing epoch at 1 " << dendl;
     epoch = 1;
-  dout(1) << "init, last seen epoch " << epoch << dendl;
+  } else if (epoch % 2) {
+    dout(1) << "init, last seen epoch " << epoch
+	    << ", mid-election, bumping" << dendl;
+    ++epoch;
+    auto t(std::make_shared<MonitorDBStore::Transaction>());
+    t->put(Monitor::MONITOR_NAME, "election_epoch", epoch);
+    mon->store->apply_transaction(t);
+  } else {
+    dout(1) << "init, last seen epoch " << epoch << dendl;
+  }
 }
 
 void Elector::shutdown()