A general election to choose a successor to Sen. Edward Kennedy could be held either Jan. 19 or Jan. 26.
Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin, who oversees state election laws, said Gov. Deval Patrick is legally required to choose either of those dates and notify municipal officials of his decision by early next week.
State law requires the governor to set the process for a special election in motion "immediately" upon a Senate vacancy. The election must be between 145 and 160 days of a vacancy.
Galvin tells The Boston Globe he calculated the dates after meeting with House Speaker Robert DeLeo, Senate President Therese Murray, and Patrick aides.
The primaries would be five weeks earlier.
Kennedy died Tuesday after 47 years in the Senate.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)