Circumstances beyond your control can combine to throw you into "Open Elective" succession laws. Under this succession law EVERY character in your realm, right down to the good for nothing courtiers, get a single vote to cast for the next ruler. This is essentially republic rule in CKII and happens if a Doge comes to power in another realm. For instance if the Doge of Venice were to be voted the next Emperor, you might see the HRE turn into an open republic. It's also possible if a bishop becomes a King or Emperor, as bishoprics usually run under open elective successions as well.
Open Elective differs from the normal Feudal Elective options quite a bit. Under Feudal Electives, all vassals who occupy one social rung beneath the ruler of the realm get a single vote. So if you are a King, all you dukes will get one vote each. If you are a duke, all your counts. Empires work differently in that it's two rungs below, not one. So if you are Emperor, kings and dukes each get one vote. You cannot choose to become Open Elective, however, you can choose to become a Feudal Elective.
Open Elective is not an option for the player beyond some extraordinary circumstances that i mentioned. The game engine right now recognizes your dynasty losing power as a Game Over, as such Open Elective would be a nightmare and republic play would probably be pretty stressful. I wouldn't mind seeing them properly introduce this succession type for players who want to rule republics but it would require a bit of an overhaul to how the game recognizes a failure state. At least for non-feudal powers.
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