It is neither.
We do not have a popular vote, so it isn’t “the people.”
Congress has no say in the matter except to accept or reject the ELECTORS chosen by the vote of the people in each state.
Technically, the electors elect the president. Some states have “faithless elector” laws saying that the electors must vote for the choice of the people in the election, but not all. Originally, the electors were entirely on their own.
Another American politician who has perhaps been in the same room as a text of the Constitution but has never bothered to read it.
The question is why did the Founders insist that Congress and the VP certify the election results?
If not to reject fraudulent elections than why do those powers exist?
What do the Federalist Papers say about it?
Sort of a yes and no. The state legislatures choose how their Electors are selected. Currently, all state legislatures have chosen to hold an election by the people in their state and let the outcome of that election decide who their Electors will be. Most of the states have a winner-take-all system but a few can split their Electors.
IMHO, the state legislatures should have realized that the 2020 election had many, many problems and should've taken direct control and chosen the Electors they believe their constituents wanted. They had that power but chose not to do so.
Yep. The “congressman” should go back and study US civics.