The Electoral College is ultimately rooted in the American people. The number of electors is a direct copy of the number of Representatives and Senators in Congress, and the electors individually are determined by each state's government who are in turn elected directly by the people in those states.

The Electoral College itself exists as a way to help keep the Executive Branch separated from the Legislative Branch. Congress (aka the Legislative Branch) can step in in place of the Electoral College if the electors deadlock to a point of no recovery, but this is considered highly unusual and an undemocratic act because it violates the Separation of Powers safeguard.