The Department of Justice’s FY 2011 Budget includes requests for increased staffing and funds in the Voting Rights section, according to this fact sheet.

One of the most important areas of CRT’s enforcement of federal voting laws concerns the thousands of submissions made each year by state and local jurisdictions seeking administrative preclearance for election-related changes as required by the Voting Rights Act. This area of activity is anticipated to increase as the release of the 2010 Census data prompts many jurisdictions to file redistricting plans that must be submitted for federal preclearance. The recent Supreme Court ruling in Northwest Austin will greatly expand the number of sub-jurisdictions that are now entitled to file an action seeking a bailout from coverage of the Section 5 preclearance provisions of the Voting Rights Act. CRT has a duty of representing the Attorney General in these types of lawsuits, and for enforcing the federal voting rights statutes that are aimed at guaranteeing American voters the opportunity to participate equally in fair and open elections free from discrimination.