SIGMA-HR enabled Élections Montréal to manage 30,000 applications, recruit, train, and assign more than 12,000 election workers across 600 polling locations—all by centralizing the entire electoral workforce cycle within a single platform. Charles-André Goulet, Election Secretary for Élections Montréal, shares his perspective.
Élections Montréal is the organization responsible for conducting municipal elections in the City of Montréal.
A neutral and non-partisan entity reporting to the City Clerk’s Office, it oversees all electoral operations—from workforce recruitment to election day—within a strict regulatory framework.
“During a general election, we must recruit approximately 12,000 people working across more than 600 locations throughout the city. This operation is managed by about twenty teams spread across 19 boroughs”
Charles-André Goulet Election Secretary at Élections MontréalTo coordinate the recruitment, training, and assignment of thousands of election workers in just a few weeks, the organization was looking for a technology solution that was robust, flexible, and fully secure.
The project is built on two interconnected suites: Talent Management and Time Management, forming an integrated ecosystem that supports the entire electoral cycle.
A Challenge Met Through SIGMA-HR’s Flexible Technology
Following a public tender based on stringent technical and security requirements—particularly regarding personal data protection and compliance with the Act respecting elections and referendums in municipalities—Élections Montréal selected SIGMA-HR for its ability to adapt to a highly complex operational environment.
Managing election staff is a large-scale operation
“Within a single solution, and in just a few weeks, we must recruit, assign, communicate with election workers, and validate compensation. The solution we were looking for had to be fully reliable, available, and secure,” emphasizes Charles-André Goulet.
During the 2025 municipal elections, more than 30,000 applications were received and processed in just six weeks.
Talent Suite: Recruiting and Training at Record Speed
The solution enables online applications, collects and processes candidate data, manages availability, hires selected applicants, and enrolls them in required training sessions.
“SIGMA-HR allows applicants to indicate their availability to work in their borough or elsewhere in the city,” notes Charles-André Goulet.
The entire hiring and assignment process is completed within minutes per candidate.
Time Suite: Intelligent Workforce Planning
Through the Worforce Labour Optimization module, managers can allocate staff based on availability, skills, and regulatory constraints specific to each electoral event.
The interface enables real-time adjustments while ensuring that each polling location has the required personnel on election day.
The Time and Talent suites were integrated at scale, providing full data centralization and real-time visibility across the entire process, from application to final assignment. The solution also generates compensation data based on hours worked and produces the files required to process payroll through the City of Montréal’s payroll system.
A large-scale deployment delivered using an agile approach
The deployment took place over a little more than six months and involved specialists from multiple departments within Élections Montréal and the City of Montréal. Weekly workshops, validation phases, and testing milestones structured the project.
“Like a puzzle, once the online application module was activated, the other components gradually came together within a three-month timeframe,” explains Charles-André Goulet. Given the fixed, non-negotiable timelines of the electoral calendar, an agile approach was essential to ensure a smooth, uninterrupted deployment.
This close collaboration with SIGMA-RH’s Professional Services teams made it possible to fine-tune every parameter while fully respecting the project’s regulatory, operational, and time constraints.
A Solution Designed to Evolve with Electoral Rules
Each general election is made up of a series of distinct events, each governed by specific business rules. “The solution needed to offer enough flexibility to support a very wide range of operations, within very short timelines, with no room for delay,” emphasizes the Chief Electoral Officer.
SIGMA-RH’s adaptability is a key asset for Élections Montréal. “The business rules of an election can change over time. The solution and the support that comes with it offer meaningful flexibility to adapt to changes, whether structural or related to workforce needs,” he adds.
A Technological and Human Partnership
Despite tight deadlines, the implementation unfolded in a positive, collaborative environment. “From the very first days, the SIGMA-RH team showed strong interest in and commitment to our needs. This positive working dynamic greatly facilitated the implementation, in a pleasant and productive environment,” concludes Charles-André Goulet.
This project illustrates SIGMA-RH’s ability to support public-sector organizations facing unique challenges related to scale, compliance, and operational complexity, while keeping people at the heart of digital transformation.
The Project at a Glance
- 30,000 applications processed
- 12,000 to 13,000 election workers recruited
- 600+ polling locations
- Deployment completed in 6 months
- 1 unified platform