What branch of government counts the electoral college votes?

The entire

electoral college does not meet together in one place. Electors

meet in their respective state capitals (electors for the District

of Columbia meet within the District) on the Monday after the

second Wednesday in December, at which time they cast their

electoral votes on separate ballots for president and

vice-president. Each state then forwards the election results to

the President of the U.S. Senate, the Archivist of the United

States, the state's Secretary of State, and the chief judge of the

United States district court where those electors met. A joint

session of Congress takes place on January 6 in the calendar year

immediately following the meetings of the presidential electors.

The electoral votes are officially tabulated at the joint session

of Congress and the winner of the election is officially

declared.