on february 21, harris admitted that he had made inaccurate statements in his testimony, blaming a recent sepsis infection that had affected his memory and caused him to have two strokes. he said that he had concluded that "public confidence in the 9th district has been undermined to an extent that a new election is warranted." the board unanimously voted to set a new election, with the date to be determined in a later hearing. the board also called for new elections for two local county offices in bladen county.