Gary Johnson

Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson speaks to supporters and delegates at the National Libertarian Party Convention, Friday, May 27, 2016, in Orlando, Fla.

(John Raoux, The Associated Press)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Gary Johnson, the Libertarian nominee for president, will appear on the Ohio ballot after all, Secretary of State Jon Husted said Wednesday.

Johnson's Buckeye State candidacy had been in flux in recent weeks after Ohio Libertarians submitted petitions with Charlie Earl's name on them.

Earl and Kenneth Moellman Jr. were intended only as placeholders for Johnson and running mate William Weld. Husted indicated last week that he would allow the swap, presuming the submitted petition signatures were verified.

Johnson, the former New Mexico governor, will be identified as an independent -- not as a Libertarian -- on the ballot, as Libertarians no longer are recognized as a party in Ohio. That could make a difference. Conservative independents and Republicans unhappy with GOP nominee Donald Trump might favor a Libertarian, if they know who he is.

A recent Monmouth University poll of likely Ohio voters measured support for Johnson, identified by callers as "the independent Libertarian," at 10 percent. Democrat Hillary Clinton lead Trump in the poll, 43 percent to 39 percent.

Independent candidates were required to submit 5,000 valid signatures from qualified Ohio voters. Husted on Wednesday also certified the lesser-known ticket of Richard Duncan and Ricky Johnson for a spot on the November ballot.

Evan McMullin, a former congressional and CIA staffer who emerged recently as an independent candidate backed by establishment conservatives, did not submit signatures to be on Ohio's ballot, said Josh Eck, a Husted spokesman.

The deadline to file as a write-in candidate is Aug. 29.