Very quietly and very delicately, the Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton campaigns have begun back-channel communications to find common ground that can break the stalemate over the seating of Florida's and Michigan's delegates.

Discussions are in very early stages, with more expected over the weekend, sources tell FOX News. The players at the national and state parties, and state governments, understand that any fix will have to be acceptable to both candidates. Neither side wants to give the other a possible advantage.

The controversy has escalated in recent days. Though Michigan and Florida were stripped of their delegates for breaking Democratic National Committee rules by moving their contests to earlier dates, the national committee has suggested the two states hold another round of elections that would meet party rules, allowing their delegates to take seats at the convention in late August.

One of the biggest stumbling blocks is cost. On Thursday, Florida Sen. Bill Nelson called on the Democratic National Committee to pay for a primary do-over, but DNC Chairman Howard Dean said no.

Michigan Democratic Chairman Mark Brewer estimates it would cost the state party $8-12 million to set up party-run election sites and allow voting by mail or over the Internet.

With Clinton and Obama in a tight race for the nomination, setting up new elections isn't simple. Clinton won both states' primaries in January, but all the Democratic candidates had agreed not to campaign in either state. Obama wasn't even on the ballot in Michigan.

The governors, lawmakers and political committees in both states are working on various possible fixes, while the campaigns attempt to stake out what both would find acceptable in order to give the states a target to work toward.

According to insiders, the basic requirements of both campaigns could be met by holding "firehouse primaries," which involve fewer voting places at regional locations. Mail-in ballots would be available for voters who couldn't make it to the polls.

Such a scenario would dramatically reduce costs, about $10 million for both states. Both campaigns could easily raise the money and keep it separate from regular campaign coffers, and state political parties could raise money under the label of party building.

Clinton has said repeatedly that the Michigan and Florida delegations should be seated. Some of her supporters -- including Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm -- have begun talking about holding the do-over election, but Clinton backers aren't completely in agreement on the issue.

Both campaigns agree on the importance of finding a way to seat the Florida and Michigan delegates at the convention, recognizing that the states are too influential in the general election and shouldn't be disenfranchised.

FOX News' Carl Cameron and The Associated Press contributed to this report.