Originally posted on the‘Campaign Stops’ blog of the New York Times Opinion Pages on January 12.

Although everyone is talking about the presidential election this year, I am much more excited about the role of immigrants in the politics of 2012. It’s not a year like 2009 when we waited anxiously for a new president and Congress to create a sensible solution for immigration reform. Those hopes are long gone. They have been replaced by new fears aroused by draconian laws that emerged from Alabama, Arizona and Georgia.

I worry, yes, but I am also optimistic about three trends: the growing importance of the Latino and Asian vote; increased access to the polls for new citizens; and the presence of “new American” candidates on ballots from school boards to the Senate.

Latino voter turnout and support for Democratic candidates in particular were part of a hidden story in the 2010 midterm elections. Ninety percent of Latino voters in Nevada supported Senator Harry Reid, giving him an advantage of 9.8 percentage points, according to an analysis by Latino Decisions. In other words, his advantage among Latino voters led to his victory over Sharron Angle, who was backed by the Tea Party.

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