Detroit - The six large television screens couldn't provide Kerry supporters at the Michigan Democratic Coordinated Campaign election party with any answers at about 9 p.m. Tuesday.

As politicians and supporters intermingled inside the Renaissance Ballroom of the Marriott Hotel in Detroit, voters continued to shuffle through many Michigan voting precincts.

Lt. Gov. John Cherry said some polling sites aren't expected to close until 10:30 p.m. The long lines are encouraging, Cherry said, especially in the face of efforts by Republican lawyers to challenge voters.

"We have a sense there was an organized effort predominantly in African American precincts," Cherry said. "The good news is, in spite of those efforts, people have come out and stayed in line."

The influx of new voters includes many young people, he said.

"Many of these voters are young and they're voting for John Kerry," Cherry said.

Miles away, Republicans from throughout the state descended upon the Capital Ballroom of the Radisson Hotel Lansing to rally around President Bush at the Republican Victory Night Party.

Some chatted. Others watched news updates on the status of the Michigan race. A "W still the president" banner hung behind the podium in the hotel's main ballroom.

U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, R-Harrison Township, said while it's too early to predict the outcome in Michigan, there's promise for a Bush victory.

"Looking at all the exit polls, I still don't know how Michigan is going, but it looks like a very close race," Miller said. "Every voter in Michigan can have a high degree of confidence in the integrity of the election process here in Michigan."

Check back throughout the evening as The State News reports from the election night parties.