Falls Church City Attorney John E. Foster notified the F.C. City Council this afternoon that the U.S. Department of Justice  “has approved the City’s pre-clearance request” to shift municipal elections from November to May and thus, Foster said, the next Falls Church City Council election will be held in May 2012. In addition, Foster said that he’s moving forward to put the matter to a voter referendum on this November’s ballot, as stipulated by the Council’s vote last fall to shift the election from November to May.