diff --git a/client/consensus/grandpa/authorities.go b/client/consensus/grandpa/authorities.go
index bbe55d6f85..f62b2af75c 100644
--- a/client/consensus/grandpa/authorities.go
+++ b/client/consensus/grandpa/authorities.go
@@ -133,8 +133,6 @@ func NewGenesisAuthoritySet[H comparable, N constraints.Unsigned](initial Author
 	return &AuthoritySet[H, N]{
 		CurrentAuthorities:     initial,
 		PendingStandardChanges: NewChangeTree[H, N](),
-		PendingForcedChanges:   make([]PendingChange[H, N], 0),
-		AuthoritySetChanges:    make(AuthoritySetChanges[N], 0),
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/client/consensus/grandpa/auxSchema.go b/client/consensus/grandpa/auxSchema.go
index b58c094969..6cf702b7da 100644
--- a/client/consensus/grandpa/auxSchema.go
+++ b/client/consensus/grandpa/auxSchema.go
@@ -42,6 +42,8 @@ func loadPersistent[H comparable, N constraints.Unsigned](store AuxStore, genesi
 	// No longer use version to tell if data is persisted, just use actual data
 	set := AuthoritySet[H, N]{
 		PendingStandardChanges: NewChangeTree[H, N](),
+		PendingForcedChanges:   make([]PendingChange[H, N], 0),
+		AuthoritySetChanges:    make(AuthoritySetChanges[N], 0),
 	}
 	setState := *NewVoterSetState[H, N]()
 	encodedAuthSet, err := store.Get(AUTHORITY_SET_KEY)