is an election that takes place in a conclave..
con is often 'with' but what is a clave?

and how is a conclave like an autoclave? (the only other clave i could think of, but i am sure there are more!)

the KEY is in your shoulder...
all below from Merriman Websters:

Main Entry: clav·i·cle
Function: noun
Etymology: French clavicule, from New Latin clavicula, from Latin, diminutive of Latin clavis; akin to Greek kleid-, kleis key, kleiein to close
: a bone of the vertebrate pectoral girdle typically serving to link the scapula and sternum -- called also collarbone

Main Entry: con·clave
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French or Medieval Latin; Middle French, from Medieval Latin, from Latin, room that can be locked up, from com- + clavis key -- more at CLAVICLE
1 : a private meeting or secret assembly; especially : a meeting of Roman Catholic cardinals secluded continuously while choosing a pope
2 : a gathering of a group or association

Main Entry: au·to·clave
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from aut- + Latin clavis key -- more at CLAVICLE
: an apparatus in which special conditions (as high or low pressure or temperature) can be established for a variety of applications; especially : an apparatus (as for sterilizing) using superheated steam under high pressure

(autoclave can also be uses as verb)