What was the key characteristic that determined who received goverment jobs un ser the spoils system

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In the politics of the United States, a spoil system is a practice where a political party, after winning an election, gives government jobs to its voters as a reward for working toward victory, and as an incentive to keep working for the party-as opposed to a merit system, where offices are awarded on the basis of some measure of merit, independent of political activity.

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