Cantonal elections to renew the general councillors of cantons were held in France on 7 and 14 March 1976. The left won a convincing victory, the PS gained 194 seats and the PCF 75. 15 presidencies also swung to the left.
The cantonales elections use the same system as the regional or legislative elections. There is a 10% threshold (10% of registered voters) needed to proceed to the second round.
Runoff results missing
| Party/Alliance | Acronym | % (first round) | Seats | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socialist Party | PS | 26.6% | 513 | ||
| French Communist Party | PCF | 22.8% | 242 | ||
| Miscellaneous right | DVD | 12.5% | 269 | ||
| Reformist Movement-Centrists | DVC | 11.8% | 250 | ||
| Union of Democrats for the Republic | UDR | 10.6% | 171 | ||
| Independent Republicans | RI | 8.5% | 175 | ||
| Miscellaneous left | DVG | 4% | 93 | ||
| Radical Party of the Left | MRG | 2.4% | 84 | ||
| Far-Left | – | 0.7% | 4 | ||