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They all want to make English the official language of the United States, but they will be participating in a forum that will be broadcast in Spanish. No, it's not another reversal on a position by prominent political candidates, but rather the acknowledgment by Republican presidential hopefuls that Latinos, the fastest-growing constituency of voters, can be better reached en español.

After being postponed for almost two months due to "scheduling" conflicts, the much-anticipated Republican Forum is finally set to air Sunday, Dec. 9. Like the Democratic Forum back in September, it will be held at the University of Miami and broadcast on Univision, for whom I work, and it will make history.

The only candidate not participating in the forum will be Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo. His official excuse continues to be a conflict with his schedule, but the long-shot candidate has not been shy about his position on the use of the Spanish language.

It's a good thing the other campaigners were finally able to fit it into their busy agendas. Their absence from various debates, forums and other public meetings organized by minority organizations brought them a barrage of criticism from those who perceived it as a rejection of minority voters.

Most notable were the Republican leading candidates' nonappearances in the PBS debate at a traditionally black college in Baltimore, moderated by African-American host Tavis Smiley; at the annual conference of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials in Orlando, Fla.; and at the meeting of the National Council of La Raza in Miami, the latter two among the largest and most influential Latino national organizations in the country.

Political pundits attributed the Republicans' lack of participation in these last two events and the first scheduled Univision forum to the campaign's fears of confronting the polarizing immigration debate. If that were the case, it's understandable.

Immigration has become a core issue in the presidential campaign for both Republicans and Democrats. And in this day and age, in which political campaigns are so closely scrutinized, a candidate's every word can and will be used against him or her, not in a court of law, but in the court of public opinion.

The challenge for Republicans, who have the strongest stance on immigration, will be to explain their position to Latino voters, who might support comprehensive immigration reform, while not alienating their core constituency, who would prefer a hard-line approach.

Aside from immigration, Republican presidential hopefuls will have a golden opportunity during the forum to address a variety of issues that affect and interest the Latino community.

Among others, these are education and the proportionately higher Latino high school dropout rate, health care and the lack of insurance for one-third of the Latino population, and U.S. relations with Latin America and the spread of left-wing governments in the region. And like all Americans, Latino voters also are concerned about terrorism and the war in Iraq.

Although Latino voters traditionally have supported Democrats, the 2004 presidential election showed that voting patterns can be reversed. President Bush got 44 percent of the Latino vote — more than any other Republican presidential candidate ever.

In the 2006 midterm election, Republicans lost some ground, garnering only 30 percent. And recent polls show that Latino voters are strongly leaning Democrat for 2008.

But the Hispanic vote is by no means homogenous. As in the past, their vote is up for grabs, and neither party can take it for granted.

The potential is huge. In 2008, projections show that there will be 17 million Latinos eligible to vote. With the massive voter-registration drives and millions of immigrants applying for U.S. citizenship, that number can increase significantly. Naturalized citizens in particular, who are not yet aligned with either political party, can be swayed in either direction.

With less than a year to go before the presidential election, Republicans have some work to do to secure some of those votes and win over the hearts of Latino voters. On Dec. 9, they could have a good shot at it.

My opinion

Maria Elena Salinas