"People from all walks of life should be able to run for office without having to seek out wealthy donors, or be wealthy donors themselves, to win," Ann Ravel wrote in her resignation letter. | AP Photo Democratic FEC commissioner resigns

Ann Ravel, a Democratic member of the Federal Election Commission, submitted her resignation letter to President Donald Trump on Sunday with a plea to embrace campaign finance reform.

Ravel's last day will be March 1. If the six-member commission loses two more commissioners, it will lack a quorum and be unable to take key actions — raising pressure on Trump to fill the upcoming vacancy.


The FEC, which has long been plagued by internal discord, is required to have no more than three members of the same party.

In her letter, which she posted on Medium, Ravel blasted the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision, which she said has made political campaigns "awash in unlimited, often dark, money." She also noted Trump had criticized the role of money in politics during his campaign, including the influence of wealthy donors and rise of powerful super PACs. And she urged him to prioritize campaign finance reform.

"Many of these same concerns have been voiced by Americans of all political views who are angry at the disproportionate influence of big money on government policy," Ravel wrote. "Our campaign finance system should promote citizen engagement and participation in the political process instead of disenchantment with democracy. People from all walks of life should be able to run for office without having to seek out wealthy donors, or be wealthy donors themselves, to win."