Members of the Arkansas congressional delegation have not yet declared a victor in the race between President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee former Vice President Joe Biden.
None of them have publicly endorsed the position enunciated by the Republican incumbent at the White House on Thursday evening: "If you count the legal votes, I [Trump] easily win."
Nor are they publicly disputing his claims.
All of them are stressing the importance of an accurate tally.
"Arkansas ensures that every properly cast vote is counted -- and each state should be doing the same," U.S. Rep. Steve Womack said in a written statement Friday.
"Legal votes will be counted. Alleged irregularities should be investigated in a transparent way. Any proven wrongdoing must be addressed. The American people deserve nothing less," the Rogers Republican added.
State Democratic Party Chairman Michael John Gray said Trump's claims of impending victory are incompatible with the election returns.
"They are counting the legal votes. And he's losing. Period," Gray said.
Republican officials are aware, Gray said, that their standardbearer is wrong.
"They know these votes are legal. They know that the process is working the way it's supposed to. No one likes to lose. But it is time for leaders in the Republican Party to quit being scared of Donald Trump and stand up and call it like it is," he said.
Through a spokeswoman, Gov. Asa Hutchinson declined to say whether Trump "easily wins" when "legal" votes are counted.
"I will work with whoever the people select as our next President," he said in a statement.
Republicans have noted that votes are still being tallied.
"Senator [John] Boozman believes all legally cast ballots need to be counted in accordance with state laws," the Rogers Republican's spokesman, Patrick Creamer, wrote.
On Twitter, U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton called for transparency and encouraged people to contribute money to the Trump campaign's legal defense fund.
"All votes that are legally cast should be counted," the Little Rock Republican had previously written Thursday. "There is NO excuse not to allow poll watchers to observe counting."
On Facebook on Thursday, U.S. Rep. French Hill wrote: "Election officials do not control which presidential candidate wins their state -- their citizens do. We need fairness and transparency while each legal vote is being counted."
"I urge the remaining states to act with integrity and properly count the outstanding votes," the Little Rock Republican added.
A spokeswoman for U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford said the Jonesboro Republican wants all valid ballots to be tallied.
"The Congressman supports a transparent and fair democratic process," his spokeswoman, Sara Robertson, said in a written statement. "He believes that every legal vote should be counted and that discrepancies should be investigated immediately."
U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman believes the work should be done in "an open, transparent manner," wrote Rebekah Hoshiko, a spokeswoman for the Hot Springs Republican.
"Rep. Westerman believes every legal vote should be counted and any fraud should be immediately investigated. This isn't a partisan issue," she added.
Some lawmakers have indicated a willingness to work with whoever is sworn into office on Jan. 20.
"I've now worked with two presidents -- President [Barack] Obama and President Trump -- and had successful legislation with both administrations and I look forward to working with the next president in the same fashion," Hill told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette shortly after securing a fourth term.
It's a position that the state's senior U.S. senator also has adopted.
"Senator Boozman will absolutely work with the President and his colleagues regardless of their party labels, as he has always done in the past," Creamer said.
Asked whether the state's junior senator is committed to working, when possible, with whomever wins the election, his spokesman, James Arnold, wrote: "Senator Cotton will work with the president when he's right for Arkansas and will try to change his mind when he's wrong."
State Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, a 2022 gubernatorial candidate who serves as national co-chairwoman of Lawyers for Trump, is among those mobilizing attorneys to aid in election-related legal challenges.
Asked whether Rutledge agrees with the president's claim, "If you count the legal votes, I easily win," her spokeswoman said the attorney general has "considerable concerns about actions taken in states by Democratic officials to change the rules of the election process at the last minute."
"She believes this needs to be more of an open process and every legal vote should be counted and every illegal vote should not be counted," her spokeswoman, Stephanie Sharp, said, adding, "Every allegation of wrongdoing must be investigated."
Asked whether he agrees with Trump, Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin suggested the outcome will eventually become clear.
"I was a ballot observer at the Florida Recount in 2000 and am very familiar with how the system functions," the 2022 gubernatorial candidate said in a text message. "Every legally cast vote must be counted pursuant to the laws of the state in which they were cast. Any allegations of fraud should be taken immediately to the court system. At the end of the process, we will know the winner."
Former Republican U.S. Rep. Ed Bethune suggested that Tuesday had been a good day for his party, though the presidential race was still in flux.
"It's clear that the nation is on the red side of center, and Arkansas is redder than ever," he wrote. "The counting and legal issues must proceed to a point where most are satisfied but we are not there yet."