diff --git a/tooz/drivers/redis.py b/tooz/drivers/redis.py
index 54da9d0e..bc7e6453 100644
--- a/tooz/drivers/redis.py
+++ b/tooz/drivers/redis.py
@@ -611,6 +611,15 @@ class RedisDriver(coordination.CoordinationDriver):
                 group_members = set()
             else:
                 group_members = set(group_members)
+            # I was booted out...
+            #
+            # TODO(harlowja): perhaps we should have a way to notify
+            # watchers that this has happened (the below mechanism will
+            # also do this, but it might be better to have a separate
+            # way when 'self' membership is lost)?
+            if (group_id in self._joined_groups and
+                    self._member_id not in group_members):
+                self._joined_groups.discard(group_id)
             old_group_members = self._group_members.get(group_id, set())
             for member_id in (group_members - old_group_members):
                 result.extend(
diff --git a/tooz/drivers/zookeeper.py b/tooz/drivers/zookeeper.py
index a15a0d65..a48cfda2 100644
--- a/tooz/drivers/zookeeper.py
+++ b/tooz/drivers/zookeeper.py
@@ -266,7 +266,7 @@ class KazooDriver(BaseZooKeeperDriver):
                     lambda: hooks.run(
                         coordination.MemberJoinedGroup(
                             group_id,
-                            member_id.encode('ascii'))))
+                            utils.to_binary(member_id))))
 
             for member_id in (last_children - children):
                 # Copy function in case it's removed later from the
@@ -276,7 +276,7 @@ class KazooDriver(BaseZooKeeperDriver):
                     lambda: hooks.run(
                         coordination.MemberLeftGroup(
                             group_id,
-                            member_id.encode('ascii'))))
+                            utils.to_binary(member_id))))
 
             self._group_members[group_id] = children
 
diff --git a/tooz/tests/test_coordination.py b/tooz/tests/test_coordination.py
index ace3093e..8e996df6 100644
--- a/tooz/tests/test_coordination.py
+++ b/tooz/tests/test_coordination.py
@@ -373,6 +373,34 @@ class TestAPI(testscenarios.TestWithScenarios,
                           lambda: None)
         self.assertEqual(0, len(self._coord._hooks_join_group[self.group_id]))
 
+    def test_watch_join_group_booted_out(self):
+        self._coord.create_group(self.group_id).get()
+        self._coord.join_group(self.group_id).get()
+        self._coord.watch_join_group(self.group_id, self._set_event)
+        self._coord.watch_leave_group(self.group_id, self._set_event)
+
+        member_id_test2 = self._get_random_uuid()
+        client2 = tooz.coordination.get_coordinator(self.url,
+                                                    member_id_test2)
+        client2.start()
+        client2.join_group(self.group_id).get()
+
+        while True:
+            if self._coord.run_watchers():
+                break
+
+        client3 = tooz.coordination.get_coordinator(self.url, self.member_id)
+        client3.start()
+        client3.leave_group(self.group_id)
+
+        # Only works for clients that have access to the groups they are part
+        # of, to ensure that after we got booted out by client3 that this
+        # client now no longer believes its part of the group.
+        if hasattr(self._coord, '_joined_groups'):
+            self.assertIn(self.group_id, self._coord._joined_groups)
+            self._coord.run_watchers()
+            self.assertNotIn(self.group_id, self._coord._joined_groups)
+
     def test_watch_leave_group_non_existent(self):
         self.assertRaises(tooz.coordination.GroupNotCreated,
                           self._coord.watch_leave_group,
diff --git a/tooz/utils.py b/tooz/utils.py
index 8720d7d8..3cc11d41 100644
--- a/tooz/utils.py
+++ b/tooz/utils.py
@@ -23,3 +23,10 @@ def exception_message(exc):
         return six.text_type(exc)
     except UnicodeError:
         return str(exc)
+
+
+def to_binary(text, encoding='ascii'):
+    """Return the binary representation of string (if not already binary)."""
+    if not isinstance(text, six.binary_type):
+        text = text.encode(encoding)
+    return text