It is official. Jo Ann Emerson has secured a spot on the November general election ballot for the 8th District congressional seat.

Emerson needed 3,692 signatures of registered voters to get on the ballot as an independent candidate.

Emerson collected more than 8,300 valid signatures, Secretary of State Bekki Cook said Friday.

Emerson is seeking to succeed her late husband, Bill, who died this summer of lung cancer.

Jo Ann Emerson is one of five candidates on the ballot for the congressional seat. The others are Democrat Emily Firebaugh, Republican Richard Kline, Libertarian Greg Tlapek and Natural Law candidate David Zimmer.