The headquarters of the Democratic National Committee in Washington, D.C. | Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images 2020 elections DNC to recommend scrapping Iowa, Nevada virtual caucuses

The Democratic National Committee will recommend rejecting a plan for “virtual caucuses” in Iowa and Nevada, introducing a level of uncertainty in the caucus states ahead of the upcoming election season.

A source with knowledge of the decision said late Thursday that the DNC will recommend rejecting Iowa’s virtual caucus proposal “due to security concerns.” Sources confirmed to the Associated Press that Nevada’s system faced similar peril.


The decision has the potential to cause the most disruption in Iowa, which has traditionally held the first-in-the-nation vote. In 2020, the Iowa caucuses are to take place Feb. 3, 2020.

The proposed virtual system is telephone-based voting , designed to allow Democrats to phone in absentee votes, rating their presidential preferences in a ranked choice style. In Iowa, the virtual caucuses were to take place over six days, which was meant to accommodate a new requirement by the DNC allowing fuller access to the voting.

DNC members raised concerns about the ability of hackers to disrupt the virtual process.