> why don't the kids themselves have the right to vote?
"Cortical white matter increases from childhood (~9 years) to adolescence (~14 years)," while "cortical grey matter development peaks at ~12 years of age in the frontal and parietal cortices, and 14–16 years in the temporal lobes" [1].
The latter processes emotions and language [2]. Its myelination continues significantly through at least 17 years old [3], through one's mid twenties.
I don't think it takes a lofty degree in statecraft to claim that five-year-olds probably shouldn't get to vote. Of course five-year-olds are a disenfranchised class, they are for a reason. I think we're just quibbling over the age threshold here.
> today we teach the importance of "universal suffrage" to kids, an entirely disenfranchised class
Universal suffrage remains both a myth and an experiment. From citizenship requirements to criminal disenfranchisement, the fact that we gatekeep voting is not exactly a secret.
Our civic education is also horribly incomplete in discussing why America was designed as a republic, not a direct democracy, an argument made extremely well by learned Athenians, Romans, Carthaginians, Vedics and Americans, most notably in the Federalist Papers.
> Others think similarly of other groups
Sure. Some of them are wrong. Some of them are right.
Unless we’re talking about giving every human a vote, it’s disingenuous to argue we should give children suffrage because universal suffrage is some divine diktat.
(Where we could have an informed debate is around whether letting kids participate in school and municipal elections makes sense.)
For example, why don't the kids themselves have the right to vote?