Opinion Roundup: Aug. 8, 2016 -- Campaign free rides, justice delayed, HB2 civility and more

Too many politicians getting a free ride in November (Fayetteville Observer) -- We've been so distracted by the sound and fury at the top of our November ballots that many of us haven't looked at the races below.

The fight for justice for Kalvin Smith continues (Winston-Salem Journal) -- Supporters of Kalvin Michael Smith have tried every means they can think of to win him a new trial or get his conviction overturned. We hope they reach some level of success.

HB-2 an unnecessary law with no enforcement (Wilmington Star-News) -- A few tweaks were made to HB2, but the law remains mainly intact. We believe the legislature should repeal it in its entirety and start over.

Commissioner Bill James fills tweet with transgender slurs (Charlotte Observer) -- We shouldn’t shrug off Meck commissioner’s tweet about transgender ruling.

JESSICA SMITH: Raising the juvenile age good for all (Fayetteville Observer column) -- The N.C. Commission on the Administration of Law & Justice will hold public hearings this month on its reform proposals. One calls for North Carolina to join the majority of states in the nation and raise the juvenile age to 18.

Trump’s trouble in the black belt (New York Times column) -- There has been much talk this election about the fundamental transformation of voters in the Rust Belt and what that portends for Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. But there is another belt also worth keeping an eye on for its remarkable electoral transformation: The Black Belt, a series of counties with large black populations, that stretches from the Deep South to the Mid-Atlantic (Florida is not a Black Belt state.)