The race to replace U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts in the 16th Congressional District officially became a three-way contest this month as Libertarian Shawn House filed signatures and was approved as a candidate.

House, a Columbia businessman whose company makes and distributes hemp products in Lancaster County, launched his congressional bid in March as a third-party option to the eventual Democratic and Republican nominees: Christina Hartman and Lloyd Smucker.

He and all other third-party candidates in the state were required to submit signatures to get on the ballot by Aug. 1.

House’s petition with his signatures was approved by the Pennsylvania Department of State on July 29, department records show. Out of Pennsylvania’s 18 congressional district races, House is one of only two third-party congressional candidates approved for the ballot — the other is Libertarian Paul Rizzo from Bethlehem.

A former Ron Paul presidential campaign organizer, House will be competing with Hartman, a consultant to nonprofits from Lancaster, and Smucker, a two-term state senator from West Lampeter Township.

The 16th Congressional District covers most of Lancaster County, along with parts of Chester and Berks counties, including the city of Reading. Out of about 321,000 registered voters in Lancaster County, 52 percent are Republican, 32 percent are Democratic and 15.5 percent are no-affiliation or third-party.

The last day for voters to register for the Nov. 8 election in Pennsylvania is Oct. 11.