| Election Name: | 1978 Dumfries and Galloway Regional Council election |
| Seats3: | 2 |
| Seats2: | 5 |
| Seats Before2: | 0 |
| Seat Change2: | +5 |
| Party3: | Labour Party (UK) |
| Popular Vote3: | 2,382 |
| Percentage3: | 12.3% |
| Seats Before3: | 2 |
| Popular Vote2: | 3,050 |
| Seat Change3: | 0 |
| Party4: | Scottish National Party |
| Popular Vote4: | 711 |
| Percentage4: | 3.7% |
| Seats4: | 1 |
| Seats Before4: | 0 |
| Percentage2: | 15.7% |
| Party2: | Conservative Party (UK) |
| Type: | legislative |
| Previous Year: | 1974 |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Election Date: | 2 May 1978 |
| Country: | Scotland |
| Party Colour: | yes |
| Party Name: | yes |
| Previous Election: | 1974 Dumfries and Galloway Regional Council election |
| Next Election: | 1982 Dumfries and Galloway Regional Council election |
| Seat Change1: | -7 |
| Next Year: | 1982 |
| Turnout: | 43.3% |
| Party1: | Independent politician |
| Popular Vote1: | 13,087 |
| Percentage1: | 67.4% |
| Seats1: | 26 |
| Seats Before1: | 33 |
| Seat Change4: | +1 |
The second Dumfries and Galloway regional council election was held on 2 May 1978, a year after the second district council elections.
This was the first time the Conservatives and the Scottish National Party (SNP) had contested a regional council election in Dumfries and Galloway. Thatcher's Conservatives overtook Callaghan's Labour to become the opposition to the still dominant independents.
Turnout was down, and so were the number of wards contested. Only 15 of the 35 wards in the region were contested, over half. 57.4% of the electorate of Dumfries and Galloway couldn't vote for this reason.[1] [2]