The Democratic National Committee will recommend scrapping state plans to offer virtual, telephone-based caucuses in 2020 due to security concerns, sources tell The Associated Press.

The final choice whether to allow virtual caucuses in Iowa and Nevada is up to the party's powerful Rules and Bylaws Committee.

But opposition from DNC's executive and staff leadership makes it highly unlikely the committee would keep the virtual caucuses, leaving two key early voting states just months to figure out an alternative.

The state parties had planned to allow some voters to cast caucus votes over the telephone in February 2020 instead of showing up at traditional caucus meetings.

Iowa and Nevada created the virtual option to meet a DNC mandate that states open caucuses to more people.

Nevada State Democratic Party Chair William McCurdy II released the following statement in response to the DNC and RBC chairs’ recommendation to end Nevada’s virtual caucus plan:

"In June of 2018, the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee passed a rule requiring state parties to provide voters with an absentee process in the primary process. In complying with this requirement, NV Dems published--in March of 2019--a uniquely Nevada Delegate Selection Plan that reflects our voters and the communities we live in. Part of that plan included a virtual caucus option that allowed Nevada Democrats who, for any reason, are unable to attend on Caucus Day the ability to participate from home or on the go using just their cell phone or landline. 

"Unfortunately, The DNC has advised we not go forward with this process due to threats against our Democratic infrastructure and Republican inaction to prevent future attacks in the upcoming election cycle.

"The Nevada Democratic Party has long been committed to expanding access to the caucus process—including pioneering workplace caucus sites. This cycle, we engaged even further by introducing early caucus voting. NV Dems will still host four days of in-person early voting and caucus sites on the Las Vegas Strip to provide Nevada Democrats additional opportunities to participate in an important process that will have lasting effects on our country."

(The Associated Press also contributed to this report.)