Experimental measurements of the carbonate ion, \(\text{CO}_3^{2-}\), show that all three carbon-oxygen bonds are chemically equivalent with an identical bond length of \(128\text{ pm}\), which is intermediate between a typical \(\text{C}-\text{O}\) single bond (\(143\text{ pm}\)) and a \(\text{C}=\text{O}\) double bond (\(120\text{ pm}\)). The three traditional Lewis resonance structures for \(\text{CO}_3^{2-}\) are shown below.

Which of the following statements best reconciles the equivalent bond lengths with the molecular geometry and orbital hybridization of the central carbon atom?