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The Pendleton Act or Civil Service Act established a system of Civil Service exams through which government jobs were to be filled on the basis of qualifications, not party affiliation. This came to be known as the Merit System. At the time 10 percent of federal jobs were filled by examination. Today, 90 percent are so filled.
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By 1904, campaign finance reform had been gathering steam for several years. Many state legislatures enacted campaign finance legislation, such as those requiring disclosure of contributions, and expenditures. They also enacted anti-bribery and anti-kickback laws.
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The first federal campaign finance legislation was now on the books. However, the laws were ineffective and with rare exceptions, Attorneys General simply did not enforce the law.
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Civil servants are not allowed to engage in political activities while performing their duties.
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This act abolished the United States Civil Service Commission and created the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the Federal Labor Relations Authority and the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board.