Ballot summary:

Micro-plastics are small pieces of plastic that are less than <5 mm in length. Textiles are the largest source of primary microplastics, accounting for 34.8% of global microplastic pollution. Microfibers are a type of microplastic released whenever synthetic clothing is washed. Which is clothing made from plastic such as polyester and acrylic. These fibers detach from our clothes during washing and go into the wastewater. The wastewater then goes to sewage treatment facilities. As the fibers are so small, many pass-through filtration processes and make their way into our rivers and seas. From there thousands of fish, turtles, and other aquatic life are mistaking these microplastics for food and eating the plastic until they starve. When humans eat these animals we also eat the plastic. Worryingly a research study has concluded that microplastics are actually small enough to breach the blood-brain barrier in mice. This is why we are calling on the United States to step up and begin regulating American corporations in order to ensure all companies are only producing washing machines that have a microplastic filter.
Full Ballot:

Begin regulating all American appliance companies to only produce washing machines that have a microplastic filter.
The reason this is a necessity is because the environment has become highly polluted with plastic waste. This pollution has gone unchecked for so long that we have multiple gyres of plastic some as large as 617,763.5 square miles in area. (That’s twice the size of Texas.) Plastic risks the lives of wildlife when ingested. Thousands of fish, birds, turtles, and insects have died mistaking plastic for a viable meal. As larger and stronger animals eat those who have consumed plastic it then goes up the food chain. Humans being at the top of this chain have also been affected with microplastics being found in the umbilical cord between mother and baby, and in human stool samples collected from all around the world. The most alarming part of this information is researchers don’t know exactly how our bodies are affected by this infiltration. But here’s what we know so far, microplastics can alter the shape of human lung cells Other studies have found that microplastics can infiltrate the blood-brain barrier in mice, plastic chemicals have been linked to high cholesterol, heart disease, and damage to brain cells. ​
But how did so much plastic reach the ocean, to begin with? One answer is low recycling rates and or poor waste management systems in various countries. But another major contributor to this problem is microplastics and microfibers. Our clothes release half a million tons of microfibers into the ocean every year, equivalent to more than 50 billion plastic bottles. Micro-plastics are small pieces of plastic that are less than <5 mm in length. Textiles are the largest source of primary microplastics, accounting for 34.8% of global microplastic pollution. Microfibers are a type of microplastic released whenever synthetic clothes are washed. Synthetic clothes are clothing made from plastic such as polyester or acrylic. These fibers detach from our clothes during washing and go into the wastewater system. The wastewater then goes to sewage treatment facilities. In the wastewater system, it is estimated that less than 50% of microfibers are filtered out (to be burnt, landfilled, or spread on agricultural land in sewage sludge for fertilizer, another source of soil-based microfiber pollution), with those remaining entering directly into the marine environment. From there the lives of thousands of fish, turtles, and other aquatic life are put in danger as previously mentioned. Microfibers, even those originally from natural fibers, come pre-contaminated with harmful chemicals such as flame-retardants and plasticizers, many of which are known carcinogens and endocrine disruptors. Secondly, microfibers and microplastics can absorb pollutants such as heavy metals, hazardous chemicals, neurotoxins, and harmful pathogens, transferring them into the food chain and also increasing the chances of disease in certain environments such as coral reefs. To that point, a worrying research study has concluded that microplastics are small enough to breach the blood-brain barrier in mice and scientists aren’t sure of the effect this will have on our health as of yet. For more information related to the subject please read more at New Atlas.

Which is why we are calling on the United States to help the people and aquatic life of this planet. By regulating all American appliance companies to only produce washing machines that have a microplastic filter.​ If this policy is passed the United States would be our planet's leader of defense in plastic protection.

Lastly, I would just like to mention how the filter could work. The design would be similar to a lint catcher system for dryers. The filter would most likely have to be in the back or behind the washing machine where the machine connects to the pipe dedicated to wastewater. The filter should be designed to be easy to replace and dispose of the plastic. One design idea is a mesh bag with the opening of the bag in the direction of the machine. The back or bottom of the bag would be facing the wall. Once the bag is taken out of the system it can then be flipped inside out or the contents of the bag scooped out and placed in a container like a plastic water bottle which can then be easily dealt with in the waste/ recycling system. Alternatively, If the company has any ideas for reusing customers' microfibers there could be a collection service between company and customer.