I wouldn't mind an 'earned franchise' for children several years younger than 18, perhaps as young as 12. It could also be partial: only on a subset of offices (such as lower houses, city councils, and school boards).
And any problems from early voters being especially shallow or manipulated by others would be offset, in the long run, by, these same voters in their 20s already having a deeper understanding of the process. A 20something voter with 10+ years of perspective would be better than today's 20something voters.
But I would worry about the combination of public schools and voting children. The school itself would likely be a polling place, and the pressure to both vote and vote in ways the school establishment prefers would be very strong.
So I'd slot the 'teen franchise' somewhere a decade after 'diverse and mostly-privatized K-12 education' on the reform priority queue.
And any problems from early voters being especially shallow or manipulated by others would be offset, in the long run, by, these same voters in their 20s already having a deeper understanding of the process. A 20something voter with 10+ years of perspective would be better than today's 20something voters.
But I would worry about the combination of public schools and voting children. The school itself would likely be a polling place, and the pressure to both vote and vote in ways the school establishment prefers would be very strong.
So I'd slot the 'teen franchise' somewhere a decade after 'diverse and mostly-privatized K-12 education' on the reform priority queue.